THE NEED TO COMPENSATE VICTIMS OF THE RECENT ELECTORAL CRISES
Undoubtedly, every society looks
forward towards actualizing a meaningful development. And it is obvious that no
development will take place in any society that lacks peace. In the same vein,
a peaceful atmosphere can never be sustained in any society if there is no
absolute unity among the members of the society in question.
Apparently, one of the factors that guarantee unity, which is the
fundamental attribute of any societal development, is fairness. The BBC English
Dictionary defines fairness as ‘the quality of being reasonable and just.’
Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary defines it as ‘the quality of treating
people equally or in a way that is right or reasonable.’
Considering the just concluded elections in Nigeria, which encompassed
the Presidential, governorship, national and states assembly polls, one need
not to be told or reminded that there were series of casualties recorded across
the country during the elections, which led to loss of several innocent lives.
Statistics show that, about fifty-eight (58) Nigerians were reportedly
feared killed during the pre-election era; according to the National Human
Rights Commission, sixty-one (61) incidents of election campaign violence
occurred in twenty-two (22) states across the federation during the said era.
And during the elections proper, ranging from the Presidential cum National
Assembly to the gubernatorial cum state Houses of Assembly, the overall survey
indicates that no fewer than thirty-two (32) persons lost their lives while too
many others were maimed, in which all the states that took part in any of the
polls were involved.
Since the deed has been done,
we are not meant to apportion blame to various quarters or institutes, rather
to make amends. If a painstaking study is taken, we will ascertain that each of
the victims of the polls was either affiliated to a certain political party or
a supporter to the party; whilst some were interested in the individual
personality of a particular aspirant. Suffice it to say; the affected political
parties as well as politicians shouldn’t be reminded that they have a quota to
contribute towards ensuring that any Nigerian who is aggrieved due to loss of
loved one or injury sustained is duly compensated for posterity sake.
The government in its capacity is expected to
take a lead in regard to this proposed crusade that is geared toward ushering
in a more united Nigeria. The federal and states governments ought to set up
formidable and reliable committees to look into the pre, during and post
election violence as it affect their respective jurisdictions with a view to
ascertaining the actual families or persons that were hurt. The electoral
umpire (INEC) must also be supportive in this crusade that is targeted to yield
a rancour-free society.
On the other hand, those who
constituted or were party to the electoral mayhem that led to the
extra-judicial killings among other crimes must be brought to book. To this
end, the police and other related bodies and agencies ought to painstakingly
undergo severe and thorough findings that would help to fish out the miscreants
as well as their accomplices in order to prosecute them accordingly. The
judiciary on its part must ensure that the anticipated prosecution is handled in
earnest and relentlessly without any iota of favour or fear of intimidation
with the motive of allowing justice to prevail, which will go a long way to
caution other Nigerians that are evil minded or are fond of taking the law into
their hands.
More so, though the
aforementioned electoral violence is not only peculiar to Nigeria, but there is
a compelling need to note that such anomaly could be avoided if proper measures
are taken. Since an average Nigerian, especially the youth, pays more attention
to his/her personal interest whenever any electioneering campaign is ongoing,
there is no gain reiterating that a holistic and rigorous awareness campaign is
meant to be embarked on prior to any general or state election as the case may
be. Such awareness should be focused on letting the electorate realize that no
politician’s ambition is worth the blood of his/her fellow citizen. The
National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with the various civil
society organizations is expected to take a lead in respect to this.
Finally, in any action we take or intend to
indulge in, we ought to endeavour to ask ourselves if it would be fair to all
concerned, because fairness remains the rudiments of our desired change; in
other words fairness should remain our watchword. Above all, we must continue
to note that the better Nigeria we all anticipate lies in our bare hands. Think
about it!
COMR
FRED NWAOZOR
(The Media Ambassador)
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056
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