U.S. Poll: Look inward, Ex-INEC boss advises FG
NAN-H-39
Election
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Lagos, Nov. 10, 2016 (NAN) Prof. Lai Olorode, a former National Commissioner of INEC, on Thursday advised the Federal Government to look inward to develop itself rather than hoping on the election of the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
Olorode told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the regime that would come to power soon would not save any African country.
NAN reports that Trump defeated his opponent, Mrs Hilary Clinton, to become the 45th American President on Wednesday.
“Nigeria as an African country cannot develop if it looks up to America for its salvation because Donald Trump election portends nothing good for Africa.
“If we are to rely on the utterances of the President-elect before the election and after the election there is nothing that I can say that is hope that will come for Africa.
“Africa should not look for salvation from the United States; Africa is not going to develop through dependency on any other country.
“Nigeria will have to look at the culture of the people of this country, its economy, and look at how to empower herself and not hope that the outcome of that election is anything.
“It is going to be disastrous for Nigeria at home and for Nigerians who are in America,’’ Olorode said.
He also urged Nigerians who are in America to rethink their continuous stay in that country.
Olorode said that Africa had the people, the population and the resources to move on and develop as continent but lacked credible leaders at the managerial level to push forward the developments.
He said it could only take a credible and patriotic leadership to think and accept that only their creator, Africa and Africans could bring development to herself and its people.
While noting that the only lesson that Nigeria could learn was a lesson in tolerance from Clinton, the Ex-INEC boss enjoined Nigerian politicians to emulate her.
He said: “I think we can learn a lesson in tolerance from Hilary Clinton and how she has been able to demonstrate maturity throughout the period of campaign and even in the post-election phase.’’
Olorode criticised Nigeria for copying the American electoral system, adding that it is expensive, money guzzling and is what is killing Nigerian government.
He said Nigerian government borrowed a system that was not in tune with our culture and economy.
He said: “We have to do something that will reflect our social reality; you have legislators that you pay so much money, we have a governance system that will not allow election to hold at the local government level.
“We have a system that is not reflecting our reality and it is gulping so much money, we need to rethink our democratic practice, we need to rethink our election project, we need to rethink the way and mode of executing things
“It is a system of a winner takes all, and the loser loses everything, is not in tune with our cultural system,’’ Olorode said.
He said unless and until Nigeria retool, we would not be making a desirable progress anywhere.
Besides, he called for a total overhaul and rethink of our constitutional and democratic values, and electoral regime which the country currently upholds so as to be free from oppression. (NAN)
LED/MST/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola