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Key moments
Disaster/Emergency, Economy, Elections, Politics

Key moments that defined Nigeria’s 2023

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For Nigerians, 2023 would become one of the most remarkable years in recent memory in terms of defining moments and major events; some cheery while some are not very pleasant.

This is just as there were major global events that highlighted 2023. We look at some of them:

The 2023 General Elections

Nothing highlighted Nigeria’s defining moments in 2023 like the 2023 General Elections.

Following interesting events that preceded the election itself, many believe that it would go down as the most anticipated election cycle since democracy returned in 1999.

Perhaps the fact that it was the first time since 1999 that three major frontrunners contested to become the president of the country added to the anticipation.

The election lived up to its build up, as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Party), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party) and Mr Peter Obi (Labour Party) won in 12 states each.

President Bola Tinubu was declared the winner with 8,794,726 votes; Abubakar came second with 6,984,520 votes; while Obi scored 6,101,533 votes to come third.

One political analyst said the 2023 election was the most consequential in the history of Nigeria since 1999.

As expected post-presidential election litigation went up to the Supreme Court which affirmed Tinubu’s victory.

Naira redesign

Although a spill over from 2022 when the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced the introduction of redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes, it was in 2023 that its impact was most felt.

The policy was greeted with public anger and expressions of frustration as the new notes were unavailable while the apex bank mopped up the old ones.

There also were political undercurrents in the implementation of the policy, leading to the Supreme Court issuing an interim order for the policy to be halted.

Many economists and financial experts termed the naira redesign policy as the worst economic policy ever implemented in Nigeria since the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), introduced in 1986.

Japa: Mass emigration of Nigerians

Before 2023, Nigeria experienced mass relocation of professionals and students, often young, who used the study and work permit routes to migrate abroad in search of better lives.

While they travel to Canada, the United States and other Western countries, the UK was the most common choice, especially for those using the study route.

However, in May 2023, the UK government said from January 2024 international students would not be permitted to bring family members with them.

Sensing that the purpose is defeated with that policy, 2023 witnessed possibly the highest relocation of Nigerians to the UK through that specific study route that enables them to take their family members along.

The migration pattern, now referred to as “japa”, has left the country grappling with the shortage of certain professionals in the health, financial services, education, telecom/ICT sectors, etc.

A report by Phillips Consulting Limited, quoted by a newspaper, said japa has, among other negatives, led to a “reduced skilled workforce, decreased tax revenue”.

Osimhen, Oshoala: African football king, queen

Following his exploit with his Seria A club Napoli in the 2022-23 season, Nigeria’s striker Victor Osimhen was named African Footballer of the Year at a ceremony in Marrakech on Dec. 11, 2023.

Osimhen scored 26 goals to help Napoli to a surprise triumph in Serie A last season and was the leading goal scorer in Italy’s top division.

He beat Egypt’s Liverpool forward Mohammed Salah and Morocco’s Paris St Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi to the award, making him the first Nigerian winner since Nwankwo Kanu in 1999.

In the women’s category, Asisat Oshoala won the top prize for a record sixth time.

Hilda Baci’s Guinness World Record

In June 2023, the Guinness World Records (GWR) confirmed that Hilda Effiong Bassey, better known as Hilda Baci, officially broke the record for the longest cooking marathon (individual), with a time of 93 hours 11 minutes.

The 26-year-old chef began on Thursday, May 11 and continued through to Monday, May 15, cooking over 100 pots of food during her four-day kitchen stint.

Hilda attempted to set a record of 100 hours, however, almost seven hours were deducted from her final total because she mistakenly took extra minutes for one of her rest breaks early on in the attempt.

Her record was short-lived though, as Alan Fisher, an Irish chef who runs a restaurant in Japan, dethroned her in November.

GWR said Fisher cooked for 119 hours and 57 minutes, more than 24 hours longer than the previous record held by Baci.

The year also witnessed the death of a sitting governor, as Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State succumbed to death after a long battle with cancer.

Rotimi became the 4th governor to die in office in Nigeria after Shehu Kangiwa (Old Sokoto), Patrick Yakowa (Kaduna State) and Mamman Ali (Yobe).

On the international scene, 2023 witnessed the historic coronation ceremony of King Charles III, a ritual that completed his ascension to the throne as the King of England. This followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Women’s football also came of age in 2023, with the staging of the FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

The Falcons of Nigeria did Africa proud after fighting gallantly against eventual finalists, England, and losing in a penalty shootout.

The competition shattered all previous records in terms of sponsorship, viewership, stadium attendance, involvement and players’ remuneration.

Artificial Intelligence, which has the potential to change human interaction forever, became mainstream in the year.

Unfortunately, the ugliest event of 2023 – the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip – is still ongoing.

Gaza’s Hamas-run government estimates that at least 20,915 people have been killed and 54,918 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7 when hundreds of Hamas gunmen entered Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.

The year 2023 also saw a proliferation of military coups and attempted coups in Africa, especially in the West African sub-region.

There were deadly earthquakes and wildfires, the most devastating being in Turkey, Syria and Morocco.

And who would forget that unsolicited kiss from Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales on the lips of captain Jenni Hermoso which all but ruined their team’s victory celebration? (NANFeatures)

The post Key moments that defined Nigeria’s 2023 appeared first on The Drum Beat.

Elections, News, Politics

Electoral Commission: Groups sue President Tinubu for appointing party loyalists as officials

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By Ola Modupe (LAGOS) –

Nigeria’s President Biola Ahmed Tinubu, has been dragged to court for appointing his party loyalists as official of the nation’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)>

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), BudgIT and 34 concerned Nigerians, at the weekend, filed a lawsuit against the President over “the appointment of at least four members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and allies of high-ranking politicians as new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs)” for the INEC.

Already, the Nigerian Senate has confirmed the appointment of seven out of 10 newly appointed RECs for INEC. The alleged APC members appointed as RECs include those from Akwa Ibom, Edo, Lagos and Rivers states.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/2353/2023 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Lagos, the Plaintiffs are seeking: “an order setting aside the nomination, confirmation and appointment of the alleged APC members as RECs for INEC, for being unconstitutional, unlawful, null, void and of no effect.”

The Plaintiffs are also seeking: “an order of mandamus to compel President Tinubu and Senate President Mr Godswill Akpabio to remove the alleged APC members as RECs for INEC, in line with Section 157 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended].”

The Plaintiffs are also seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel President Tinubu to appoint qualified Nigerians who are persons of unquestionable integrity and a non-member of a political party or loyalist to the positions of RECs for INEC, in line with Paragraph 14(3)(b)(c), Third Schedule and Section 156 of the Nigerian Constitution.”

In the suit, the Plaintiffs are arguing that: “The status, powers, independence of INEC, and the impartiality with which it acts and is seen to be allowed to act, are fundamental to the integrity of Nigeria’s elections and effectiveness of citizens’ democratic rights.”

The Plaintiffs are also arguing that, “INEC ought to be the primary guarantor of the integrity and purity of the electoral process. President Tinubu and the Senate have the constitutional responsibilities to ensure both the appearance and the actual independence and impartiality in the nomination and confirmation of INEC top officials.”

According to the Plaintiffs, “The credibility and legitimacy of elections depend mostly on the independence and impartiality of those appointed to manage the process. Without an independent and impartial INEC, the democratic rights of Nigerians would remain illusory.”

The Plaintiffs are arguing that, “Anyone to be appointed as RECs for INEC must clearly be non-partisan, independent, impartial and neutral. INEC officials ought to be able to discharge their legal duties and implement the Electoral Act without fear or favour.”

The Plaintiffs are also arguing that, “Nigeria’s electoral body must enjoy the independence from direction or control, whether from the government or any other quarter. It must be accountable to the electorate, and act accordingly.”

The suit filed on behalf of the Plaintiffs by their lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Andrew Nwankwo, read in part: “As public officers, President Tinubu and Mr Godswill Akpabio are required to act in conformity with their oath of office and the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended].”

“Treating INEC as a line department accountable to bureaucratic higher-ups and high-ranking politicians rather than as an independent and impartial body is antithetical to constitutional and international standards and the notion of the rule of law.”

“The use of the word ‘non-partisan’ means that those to be appointed to conduct credible elections must not be people who openly identify as belonging to a political party, whose occupation is politics or who are perceived by ordinary Nigerians as having political biases.”

“Section 153(1) (f) of the Nigerian Constitution provides that ‘There shall be established for the Federation the following bodies, namely – (f) Independent National Electoral Commission.’”

“Section 156(1) of the Nigerian Constitution provides among others that, ‘in the case of the Independent National Electoral Commission, he[she] [the person to be appointed as a REC] shall not be a member of a political party.’”

“Paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution provides among others that ‘2. A member [of INEC] shall –a. be non-partisan and a person of unquestionable integrity… 3. a Resident Electoral Commissioner shall –b. be a person of unquestionable integrity and shall not be a member of any political party.’”

“Under Section 6(4) of the Electoral Act 2022, ‘The appointment of a Resident Electoral Commissioner shall be in compliance with section 14 (3) of the Nigerian Constitution.’”

“The nomination, confirmation and appointment of the alleged APC members as RECs for INEC is a breach of Section 6(4) of the Electoral Act 2022 and Section 156(1)(a) and Paragraph 14 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.”

“The United Nations Human Rights Committee has stated that states including Nigeria should establish independent electoral authorities to supervise the electoral process and to ensure that elections are conducted fairly, impartially and in accordance with established laws and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”

“The African Union’s African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance to which Nigeria is a state party also calls upon state parties to establish and strengthen independent and impartial national electoral bodies responsible for the management of elections.”

“Those recently appointed as RECs and confirmed by the Senate include an individual who was formerly a member of the PDP before allegedly ‘decamping’ to the APC and who served as the Chief of Staff to Mr Godswill Akpabio when he was Governor of Akwa Ibom State.”

“The alleged APC members or loyalists also include individuals who reportedly campaigned on social media for the election of President Tinubu and who was appointed as chairman of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board in 2001 when Mr Tinubu governed the state.”

Joined in the suit as Defendants are: INEC; Mr Godswill Akpabio, for himself and on behalf of the Senate; and Messrs Etekamba Umoren; Isah Shaka Ehimeakne; Anugbum Onuoha; and Bunmi Omoseyindemi.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

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Africa, Elections, Foreign, News

In a show of good sportsmanship, Ex-Football star George Weah concedes electoral victory to Boakai

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By Paul Ejime –

Liberia’s President Goerge Weah has conceded victory to his longtime political rival, former vice President Joseph Boakai even before the official announcement of results of their tightly fought 14 November presidential run-off contest, thereby demonstrating good sportsmanship as an ex-World footballer.

In his concession speech, Weah, 47, confirmed that he had telephoned “President-elect” Boakai, 78, to congratulate him on his victory, hours after Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) announced that Boakai had edged the former footballer by 50.89% to 49.11% from 99.58% of the poll results processed by Friday 17 November.

Liberia’s President-elect Joseph Boakai

The Commission has still to announce the complete official results, but Weah said although his “(Coalition for Democratic Change) CDC has lost the election, but Liberia has won.”

“Under my leadership, these elections were organized with a promise to the Liberian people – a promise of fairness, peace, inclusiveness, transparency, and credibility,” Weah said, adding: “I am proud to say that we have fulfilled that promise. The Liberian people have spoken, and we have heard their voice.”

He affirmed “I remain your President until the handover of power, and I will continue to work for the good of Liberia. Let us heal the divisions caused by the campaign and come together as One Nation and One United People.”

As it rained in the nation’s capital, Monrovia, on Friday, the mood at the CDC headquarters was subdued in contrast to jubilations by victorious opposition Unity Party (UP) supporters.

Both men have been involved in four presidential contests dating back to 2017, when Weah defeated Boakai, then deputy to former President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, Africa’s first elected female President.

Unlike in 2017 when Weah won with 61%, Boakai takes a slim margin of electoral victory to Liberia’s Executive Masion.

In his speech Friday, he called for unity, saying the closeness of the election results “reveals a deep division within our country.”

“Now more than ever, unity is paramount for the love of Mama Liberia,” said the outgoing president of Africa’s oldest republic founded by freed slaves from America in 1847.

The last time politically restive West Africa witnessed what promises to be a peaceful transfer of power was in 2015, when Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan conceded defeat to then opposition candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who completed his two terms of eight years in May 2023.

Otherwise, most presidential elections in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region have ended in polarising legal disputes.

In recent years, the region has also been rocked by more than half a dozen military coups that ousted elected governments, and a series of divisive electoral contestations from Ghana to Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Benin, Nigeria, and lately, Sierra Leone.

Credit is due to the Mrs. Davidetta Browne Lansanah-led NEC Liberia, which has been generally commended for its professionalism and the transparency in the electoral process.

The Commission is also praised for its doggedness, commitment, patriotism and for “resisting political pressures” from the politicians.

This feat is particularly noteworthy, given the inadequacy and late release of funds to the Commission as well as disruptive infrastructure deficit, particularly the country’s bad road network and the inclement weather (rainy season), under which the presidential and legislative elections were held.

It was also the first time that Liberia would conduct post-war elections without support/presence of the United Nations Mission, which ended its stabilising operations in the country in 2018 following two devastating civil wars that ended in 2002.

ECOWAS-led international support and preventive diplomacy also contributed to Liberia’s current electoral success.

Apart from dispatching more than 200 Election Observation Missions led by Prof Attahiru Jega, former Chair of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the first and second-round elections, ECOWAS also supported Liberia with US$500,000, and along with the African Union, recruited election experts to assist NEC Liberia during the elections.

Liberia’s lingering post-war reconstruction challenges and the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic might have overwhelmed Weah’s six-year administration, which was also dogged by high rate of youth unemployment, spiralling inflation, and economic hardships, the government also endured allegations of official corruption.

It remains to be seen how a Boakai presidency would fair.

In the meantime, Liberian political stakeholders – the government, NEC, the candidates, political parties and their supporters, security agencies, and the electorate, should be proud of themselves for succeeding where other countries in the region have failed – conducting less-contentious elections.

Going forward, ECOWAS and especially, four of its member States – Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger – which are under military dictatorships must draw useful lessons to guide the restoration of constitutional order in those countries.

Now that Liberia has shown exemplary leadership, it is up to ECOWAS and the political class to arrest the dangerous democratic deconsolidation drift and the need to eschew “political, constitutional, or ballot box coups,” coupled with deliberate efforts to enthrone good governance across the region.

West African armed forces must also discipline themselves by sticking to their constitutional responsibility, which does not include political governance.

*Paul Ejime is a Global Affairs Analyst and Consultant on Peace & Security and Governance Communications

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