Confidence low as Nigeria votes
Nigerians head to the polls Saturday to elect a new president, just days after more than 21 people were killed in state elections.
from the April 20, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
"I think it's become normal for the opposition who lost an election to complain," says Bolaji Adebiyi, spokesman for Gov. Yar'Adua's campaign. "The ones they win are always free and fair, but the ones they lose are not free and fair."
Mr. Adebiyi bats down corruption charges against the ruling PDP with promises of economic growth. "All I can tell you is that Yar'Adua will ensure that in the next 10 years, Nigeria will be one of the top 20 economies in the world."
Voters longing for improvements
Most voters in Lagos say they would be happy with much simpler goals, such as clean drinking water and spending at least one night without a lengthy power cut.
"I've been voting since the 1980s, but I changed my mind when I saw that nothing changed," says Balogun Edward, a weightlifting champion, taking a break from training outside the National Stadium. "What we need in Nigeria is factories where people can work. If enough companies come in Nigeria, people will stay, and nobody will bother to risk their lives on the high seas to get to Europe."
"In Nigeria, our politics here is just like a war," says Taofeeq Animashun, an avid fan of the Nigerian national football team. "If someone wins election, we're supposed to follow them. But here in Nigeria, The person who loses will fight the winner, and it will be like war. Before the elections, many lives were wasted in riots. Only God can help us now."
Not all voters are cynical. Michael Ajaye, a systems analyst at a law office, says that he sees signs of hope in the growing power of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, a new agency created by Obasanjo to stamp out corruption. Among the officials caught by EFCC are three state governors and the nation's inspector general of police.
"We're going to have problem spots," says Mr. Ajaye, "and Nigerian politics are still being dictated by big money. But the orientation of the people is changing. They are beginning to appreciate people who have credibility. It's getting better, gradually, only with some hiccups here and there."
RSS feed
