INEC and conduct of 2011 election

The appointment of Prof Jega was welcomed with euphoria and it rekindled the hope of Nigerians of conducting a credible election. Many people registered as eligible voters.

But despite the much hyped electronic registeration, many people registered more than twice and were not detected by INEC.Some of them sold their votes to be used by other voters especially under-aged ones or engaged in multiple voting spree. I know a guy that voted 4 times in this week's gubernatorial elections. There was no provision to address the issue of multiple voting even with single voter’s card.

When a cast my vote in this week gubernatorial election, I went back home and returned to the polling unit at around 4pm to see what is happening, when most voters have already cast their voters and left. The policemen have gone for prayers and I was shocked to see many people casting their voters even without proper accreditation.

There are many cases of ballot stuffing, alteration of result collated at the polling unit, inflation of figures of votes cast, unbelievable voter turnout in some states with outrageous number of people casting their votes for the same party, inducement of voters with money and gifts of petty items and many widespread manipulations.

Even though some people do not like criticism of these elections, but I believe the election has many flaws that have vitiated its credibility and closing our eyes to this brazen manipulations and usurpation of people's mandate will not in any way help us to progress as a nation. The onus is on INEC and the federal government to accept this shortcomings and device ways of preventing similar flaws in future elections.

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My encounter with a herbalist

3days ago, I was discussing with some friends in front of our family house, when suddenly a herbalist interrupted our discussion.
“Salamu alaikum”, the man shouted.
“Wa alaika Al-salam”, we replied.
He brought several concoctions wrapped in polythene bags.
“I have medicine for typhoid, pneumonia, hypertension, impotence”, the herbalist said, offering some of the concoctions to us.
Nobody among us collected any of the concoctions. So, he repeated the same statement offering the same concoctions to me specifically.
“I am alright and doesn’t suffer from any of the ailments you mentioned”, I replied.
“Did you attend secondary school?” I asked him.
“Yes, Alhaji”, the herbalist replied.
“Now, can you spell either of the words “typhoid” or “pneumonia” and collect N1000 in return?”I asked him.
The herbalist was perplexed and could not give any answer.
“Do you sincerely know the meaning of the words “pneumonia” and “typhoid”?I asked him again.
The man became furious and hurriedly walked way saying “If you don’t want to buy my medications, please do not discourage other people from buying”.
Then I remembered a story narrated to me by Abubakar, a technician working in our office. Six people leaving in his neighbourhood ingested a concoction given to them by a herbalist as a remedy for ‘pile’. They started having bloody diarrhea after taking the concoction. Four of them died while two recovered after difficult resuscitation in hospital.
Many people are suffering in silence due to ignorance, superstitions and poor regulation of the activities of herbalists and traditional healers in Nigeria.