Symptoms of progress ii

Election registration 2011 AD

In the name of God, I set to put this in record so that our grand
children could one day use it to explain how they come to find themselves at
what ever stage of development in the human progress they will be by then.

After the death of ‘Yaraduwa, the man Obasanjo hand over power to
after the shabby election of 2006, Goodlock, his vice, who took over had
promise to conduct a free and fair election. The account I wish to narrate is
my personal experience about this phenomenantal issue which in Africa that
experience over millennia of both Trans-Saharan and Trans-Atlantic-Slave-
Trades and yet undergoing another International exploitation of its resources
from the capitalist nations as well as being used as the dumping ground for
the goods of all industrialised nations, had become a gun powder that is now
setting the huts of Africans ablaze.

To begin with the recruitment of those to conduct the exercise, the

Government due shortage of INEC (the independent electoral body) staffs,
had said it will use the students of higher institutions in addition to those
graduates undergoing their national service for the exercise, but the
recruitment of the student was conducted when the students were away on
their vocation! It is true some students were hand picked anyway.

Then later another recruitment exercise was conducted via net.

The real exercise how ever was the issue here. My observation was
that, first many people were registered many times, but many people were
not registered at all. I personally visited about 6 different registration centres
in Zaria City around Anguwan Juma and Kasuwa areas but could not be
registered. The reasons range from coming late (between 2-3 PM) to
registration centres to that of not residing in the vicinity of the exercise
(Kurna registration centre).

I do not know the official closing time but I am certain that, you could
register at any point you desired to. But then I noticed the most unusual
thing, under aged children were being registered! Children, of not more than
13-14 years of age or less, I am certain of that because some of them were
my students.

I learnt that the exercise was extended for another week, may be to
enable some correction of finger printings that was said to be done not as
stipulated.

What could have caused all these abnormalities? Could it be a

deliberate rigging tactics or ignorance in the side of the registrars? Where
the officials’ conscious of what they were doing or what was going on?

Jega who heads the INEC had promised to conduct a free and fair
election but he could certainly not possibly be in all the registration centres
at the same time to know what is happening and the national intelligent
services were equally not competent enough to do anything.

In Africa we do not experience renaissance and enlighten periods nor

had we experience reformation of any of our believe systems. We only have
forced migration during the slavery days that depopulated the continent of its
most productive element, living only sorrows to their relatives and loved
ones. Industrial revolution that rendered slavery absolute again brings Africa
to its knees through colonial exploitation, {the imperialism that follows the
abolition, a capitalist stage resulting from the huge profits of the Triangular
Trade (Buying of slaves from Africa for slave labour in the Americas, the
produce of which will provide raw materials in the European cottage
industries [that were to become the genesis of Industrial capitalism] which in
turn produced the goods that were exchanged for African enslaved men and
women)} further retarding the African economic progress that stagnates due
to insecurity which resulted in hey days of commercial slavery across the
Atlantic.

The psychological trauma the evil commerce had caused us is still with
us and acting as a wedge to disorient any progressive attempt we make to
join the civilised rest of the human race.

We should educate our selves in a manner so as to reorient our

psychological complexes that will enable us to be able to rise above the dust
of slave mentality, in order to get free ones and for all.
 However that orientation can only come from responsible leadership as
well as follower ship which again is possible only and only when ignorance
that breeds out of illiteracy is totally eradicated. The ages we entered since
the middle of the first millennium ware the ages of knowledge.

We should begin with the African renaissance. At least let me initiate

us by remaining ourselves that, once upon a time there was a university in
Mali, The Sankore University.

God bless Africa, God bless Mankind!

Umaru Yusufu.

Anguwan Juma No. 180 Zaria City,

PO Box 271 Zaria.

E-mail:- umaruyusuf@yahoo.com

2200 hours Saturday, 29/01/2011