Special report By Bob Majiri Oghene Etemiku
The 13th day of the month of March 2015 was just forty eight hours shy of the Ides of March, a day in 44BC made notorious by the assassination of Julius Caesar.
But on the 13th of March 2015, there were no auguries of lionesses whelping in the streets, or of slaves having their right hands aflame without being burnt, predicting that some catastrophe akin to the assassination of Julius Caesar was going to take place.
We had carefully researched and found out that that day was going to be a big market day in Igara in Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo State.
Our organization, the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) was desirous of making the greatest impact with the opportunity INEC provided to get boots apart from INEC’s on ground to assist with the enlightenment process with regard to the elections.
In Benin City where we have our roots and boots, and together with its environs, there is hardly power supply, to the extent that whatever electronic media instruments, such as radio or TV, and even the internet officials of INEC needed to use in the enlightenment campaign become useless.
I have realized that a vote represents two voices – what would be a yes for the one would be a no for the other and for a lot more people than we could ever conjecture.
And we would start off by saying that as one who does not believe that a vote makes life easier the next morning or afternoon or evening after the vote, I would say that I surprised myself at the ease with which I put on the boots with which we were to forward march into grassroots teeming with residents who cared little or nothing about a vote.
Residents of that quaint little town of Igara in Akoko-Edo local government area of Edo State live side by side like the mosque and the church on the Auchi/Ibillo Expressway.
In Igara, not too many people cared whether you clapped your hands in worship or stood facing the East in reverence to God.
But I was to find out that there were a lot more people like me who thought that the vote is a veto.
I had a dialogue with a woman in a stall who was turning the handle of her sewing machine here and there and couldn’t care if the voting was correctly done or not as long as she benefit from either financial or material inducements.
The following conversation ensued:
Voter: So you people didn’t come with money…?
ANEEJ: Money…we’re not from any political party. We’re an NGO…we came here to enlighten you. You should vote.
Voter: Not even wrapper, kerosene or rice, oga?
ANEEJ: Hmm, you surprise me. In this age and time, you still want to collect all of those things before you vote, Madam?
Voter: I beg tell me another story…why wouldn’t I take my own share of the money now? When they get there, our life and this market will not change!
I looked around her shop and saw a starry-eyed kid. I noticed that her school uniform was torn in several areas and started the conversation again:
ANEEJ: Madam, look at this your little girl, look at her very well.
Voter: (immediately stopped her chores, and pored over her child). My little girl? What’s wrong with her?
ANEEJ: Madam, it looks as if you don’t love her at all!
Voter: I like my child…are you her father. Did you give birth to her?
ANEEJ: I am not her father, and she’s not my child…but you’ve already eaten her food. You’ve already collected her money. Every day of her life as an adult, she will insult you.
Voter: My child would insult me…how?
ANEEJ: You’ve already collected monies and wrappers and kerosene – these things were bought with monies from politicians…as soon as you collect them and cast your vote for them, you’ve allowed them to steal the money they should have used for building a good school for your children, or the hospital that you should take her to when she has malaria will never get built…wait, what’s that smell?’
Voter: Smell…oh yes o. We don’t have a toilet in this market. We usually do our other business in the bush.
ANEEJ: You see…how do you expect them to build toilet for you if you’ve already collected the monies that these greedy politicians are supposed to use for building the toilet for all of you in the market…how Madam?
Voter: (She took the sample ballot paper from me). So which of them do you think I should vote for? Which of them do you think would give us a school and hospital and toilet in this village and our market, sir?
ANEEJ: Sorry Madam, but I can’t tell you who to vote for. As a matter of fact, the laws say that if I try to look at or spy at who my neighbor votes for, I’ll be fined N200, 000.00 or I will go to prison for 6months. See it, see the offences for this election (visual display) it’s right here on this paper.
Voter: Ah, that’s not too good sir!
ANEEJ: So you’ve got to cast your vote for the man or woman you believe would build schools, hospitals and a toilet in your market.
Voter: But how do I know that…I’ve not been to school!
ANEEJ: Talk with people who know…listen to your radio and watch television. All the politicians are campaigning. They are saying what they can do or will do. The ones that are offering you rice, money and kerosene are the ones you must not trust.
Voter: Really…but they all come here offering us rice, wrappers and kerosene! End of dialogue.
At this point I knew that I had lost her. I lost the argument. I immediately recognized that the reason why I lost was that a major factor was that across the board, desperate politicians have so exploited the common people.
This has gone to the extent that the entire character and disposition of the general election appeared tainted by who is offering more rice, kerosene and money instead of fresh ideas for growth and development.
In my recommendations, I have asked INEC to embark on more and more village campaigns. Voter education and enlightenment should be targeted at places like mosques and churches, eateries, and higher institutions.
For it to be effective, we recommend that the effort must be sustained and this kind of publicity and enlightenment campaign should be carried out weekly before the elections.
More funds should be allocated for enlightenment campaigns like this, and especially at the grassroots where social facilities like power supply are irregular.
Bob Majiri Oghene Etemiku is communications manager with the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ. www.aneej.com
