Opinion

2015 Polls Shift: People React

Published

11 years ago

February 23, 2015

The Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, had penultimate Saturday, announced change of the dates of the country’s planned general elections.
Expectedly, this has elicited diverse reactions from different people both within and outside the country. Our Chief correspondent, Calista Ezeaku spoke with some of these people. Our photographer, Ken Donatus captured their images.

Godwin Nnadozie
Pastor
The postponement of the election is a welcome development; I’m in support of it because of the reasons given by INEC. One of the reasons is the issue of the distribution of PVC and insecurity in the north. I support it. It will help us to prepare adequately. Those people who have not gotten their PVCs will go and get them so that nobody should be disenfranchised and at the end of the day, I believe that God will help us to have a wonderful election.
I listened to President Gooduck Jonathan during his last presidential media chat and he was able to address the issue of insecurity in the North East
He gave us hope and assurance that within this six weeks something will be done and elections will be conducted.

A photographer
I like the postponement of the elections because in this area we don’t have voters card. But the question now is, if the voters’ cards are not available till the new date of the election, what will happen? We don’t have voters card here going by what we have now, there is no way President Jonathan will win, if we don’t have voters card in this area. Whether you like it or not majority of votes for Jonathan will come from this area. Some people in the north will vote for him but the bulk of his vote will come from this part of the country and if the people here do not have voters card how is he going to win?
President Jonathan has assured Nigeria that elections must hold on the rescheduled dates but let us still be praying that he might win because northerners work in unity. In this area, even though we claim we love Goodluck, most of us are reluctant to collect the voters card. We are not interested.
Again, there is this argument that Boko Haram challenges has been with us for up to three years and since we were not able to deal with it within these years how can we deal with it in six weeks?
But no one can really tell why military Chiefs asked for the postponement. May be they had serious information. May be they fore saw situations where the election would have led to serious bloodshed in the country and decided to avert it. So I encourage people to use this opportunity to go and get their voters card so that we can vote for the right persons.
Dr Green Iheanacho-Lecturer / Political Scientist
The election postponement has very wide implications nationally and internationally. First of all internationally, it gives the impression that Nigeria is yet to organise herself to make effective arrangement to conduct elections. When the election will eventually come, if it is not transparent enough to international standard, it will be taken that the anormalies that may be noticed were the reasons for the postponement. And nationally it disturbs the process and progress of the elections and the electioneering campaigns.
With allegations and counter allegations of intimidation, impunity and all that, coming now to be capped with the postponement, it is an indictment on the federal government that all that have been said about their unseriousness and lackadaisical approach to the elections may be taken to be true.
So, eventually it will take a lot on the part of the federal government to redeem its image internationally and also to prove its sincerity and commitment to a free and transparent election when the postponed date comes around.
The reasons given for the postponement are not cogent because those reasons have been with us all along. We are talking of security reasons, Boko Haram has been with us for not less than three years. If we think Boko Haram is a serious threat that can affect national programmes and polices then we should have adequately addressed it before this time. Every other issue has been made of no effect by INEC’s declaration that they are fit and ready to conduct the election. So every other reasons has been defeated by that idea from INEC.
If INEC as alleged, has been rammed into agreeing with the postponement when it declared that it was ready and the outcome of the elections are not internationally certified or seen to be free and transparent then it confirms the adage that a witch-bird cried in the night and in the morning a baby died.
So, we are saying that Nigeria should give INEC the openness, the obvious co-operation that will make it conduct the election without interference. The postponent as I said earlier is not a welcome development for political development in Nigeria and also for the international reputation of Nigeria. It doesn’t speak well of the development of politics and everything that has to do with the instrument of democracy for Nigeria to suddenly come and within a space of two weeks, postpone a scheduled election.
In other countries, materials would have been put at positions where they would be used at electoral time before that two weeks. But as it is now, such materials are now open for manipulation, fraud and counter cheating. So it doesn’t speak well for the electoral process in Nigeria. It is a very wrong decision. We should allow democracy to flourish in Nigeria.
We should grow and grow democracy.
We are not under a military or dictatorial government where impunity and personal interests will be allowed to reign supreme and have their sway. We have had this stint of democracy for a number of donkey years that should have made us an example in Africa. We shouldn’t be allowing other African countries – South, Africa, Ghana, and even Liberia to be taking the glory of good governance in Africa. We should show growth and development in politics.

Mr Kennedy Weede
– Media Practitioner
To me, I want to say that shifting the elections to March and April is not a welcome development.
Before the postponement, Nigerians have prepared to vote candidates of their choice, to vote a credible leader not a miler. You will agree with me that Nigeria is yet to have a leader. Shifting the election has caused a big mayhem in Nigeria. If the military say they are not prepared for the lections, it then means they have failed Nigerians.
Now they have shifted the elections for six weeks, is it now that they will be well equipped to fight insurgency? You see, Nigeria has come of age, let them not be telling us cock and bull stories. Nigeria is bigger than any individual and I stand to be corrected.
The shifting of the elections has a political undertone and I want to say that in this election, let them allow the peoples’ vote to count because Nigerians are ready to vote a leader of their choice.
On the issue of the collection of PVCs, you will agree with me that what our people here want is money, money, money. It is just now that our people to make up for politics. In the north the political awareness had been them. They equip themselves by registering and collecting their PVCs. If INEC says they have distributed 80% of the PVCs in the north, yes don’t blame them. Our people are after money.
If they go to collect the PVCs and the queue is much, they will go back to do their businesses. That is what is causing the problem now.
Our people are interested in money, not election, while in the north they have equipped themselves even before this time to ensure that they elect their own candidate.
I believe Prof Jega is ready to write his name in the Guinness Book of record. Let them allow him to conduct a credible, free election this year, 2015 and Nigerians are ready for change.

Mr Richards Orji – Missionary
I think the postponent is for the good of the nation. What we want is a peaceful and free election. We don’t want where there will be confusion or trouble. So if the postponement will lead to free and fair elections, I believe that is the best for the nation. It is not good to hurry and then run into trouble. It is better we postpone the elections and do things right. Many people had not collected their PVCs before the initial date of the election and had elections been conducted, they wouldn’t have voted. So it is better to postpone the elections so that people will collect their PVCs. And anybody who fails to collect his PVC within this period will no longer blame INEC.

Mrs Pep Iroroh – Psychologist
I think the postponement of the elections was a good decision taken by INEC, so as not to disenfranchise Nigerians. We are all aware that as at the 7th of February when the polls shift was announced, thousands of eligible voters including myself not collected their voters cards. I made every effort to collect it but all was in vain. I went to the centre where I registered several times but was asked to come back because my card was not available.
And the question is, why disenfranchise the electorate if there is any room for extension.
I believe to have free and fair election is to allow any eligible voter the right to get his/her PVC so as to vote their preferred candidates. It would have been very unfair if elections were held on February 14th and 28th because many people would have been disenfranchised and that would have caused a big problem for the country.

Opinion

Beyond the Adichie Tragedy

Published

4 hours ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

Quote:: “Justice must never depend on fame, wealth, or connections. The child of a roadside trader deserves the same standard of care as the child of a globally celebrated writer. When accountability works only for the prominent, public trust in institutions quietly erodes.”

Public reaction to the suspension of doctors by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) following the death of the son of celebrated Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reveals something deeper than outrage over a single tragedy. Across social media and public commentary, a recurring sentiment stands out: many Nigerians believe justice was served only because of the prominence of the family involved. Comments such as “The doctors were punished because Chimamanda is well known,” or “If it was a poor man’s child, the case would have been swept under the carpet,” capture a troubling lack of faith in the system.

Whether these perceptions are always accurate is not the most important issue. What should concern the nation is that so many citizens instinctively believe that justice in Nigeria often depends on status, wealth, or influence.The tragedy that befell the Adichie family is heartbreaking. No parent should have to bury a child, particularly under circumstances that raise questions about professional responsibility. But beyond the grief lies a larger national concern: medical negligence in Nigeria is far more widespread than the few cases that attract public attention. Across the country, families quietly lose loved ones in hospitals and clinics under troubling circumstances. Patients are sometimes misdiagnosed. Emergency cases may be delayed. Surgical procedures may be mishandled, while basic standards of care can be compromised due to negligence, poor supervision, or systemic pressure on medical staff.

In many situations, grieving families simply accept their loss and move on, believing there is little they can do. The result is what can only be described as a silent epidemic of unreported medical negligence.In more developed healthcare systems, such incidents rarely go unexamined. Independent regulatory bodies investigate complaints, enforce professional standards, and sanction erring practitioners. In the United Kingdom, for instance, the Care Quality Commission inspects hospitals, clinics, and care providers to ensure strict compliance with safety and quality standards.Nigeria does have oversight institutions, notably the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. However, enforcement often appears inconsistent, and many cases of negligence never reach the stage where regulators can intervene. Sometimes victims are unaware of the complaint process. In other cases, fear, cost, or bureaucracy discourage families from seeking justice.

While government institutions must improve their oversight mechanisms, citizens must also confront a difficult truth: Nigerians often fail to pursue their rights when they are violated. Too frequently, when injustice occurs, people retreat into resignation. Instead of filing complaints or seeking legal remedies, many respond with the familiar phrase: “God will judge them.” Faith is important, but it should not replace civic responsibility. A society that leaves accountability solely to divine intervention risks allowing negligence and impunity to flourish. Some commentators have suggested that the Adichie family likely pursued the matter relentlessly through petitions and formal complaints before authorities acted. If that is the case, it demonstrates a path other citizens can follow. When malpractice occurs, persistence in seeking justice can make institutions respond.

If more families reported cases of medical negligence to the appropriate authorities, regulatory bodies would have stronger grounds to investigate. Public pressure would also push healthcare institutions to improve their standards. Negligence, as defined by Nigeria’s Supreme Court in Odinaka v. Moghalu, refers to the failure to do what a reasonable and prudent person would have done under similar circumstances. Within medical ethics, physicians are expected to provide competent care with compassion and respect for human dignity. These principles form the foundation of the duty of care that patients rely upon. Citizens must therefore be able to recognise signs of negligence and take appropriate steps to seek redress. Patients and families should learn to document incidents, keep medical records, ask questions about treatment decisions, and report suspicious circumstances surrounding medical care.

Where necessary, formal complaints should be lodged with regulatory authorities or pursued through the courts. Civil society organisations, advocacy groups, and the media also play a crucial role. By exposing cases of negligence and demanding accountability, they help ensure such incidents do not disappear into silence. A healthcare system shielded from scrutiny cannot improve. Nevertheless, responsibility cannot rest solely on citizens. Government must take decisive steps to strengthen healthcare regulation and reduce medical negligence. Hospitals and clinics—both public and private—should undergo regular inspections to ensure compliance with professional standards, safety protocols, and ethical guidelines. Persistent violations must attract meaningful sanctions. Legal practitioner and Senior Advocate of Nigeria Olisa Agbakoba has suggested the creation of an independent health regulatory authority and the restoration of Chief Medical Officers at federal and state levels.

In the past, these officials, alongside health inspectors, helped enforce professional standards and ensured accountability within healthcare facilities. Government must also invest more seriously in the training and continuous education of healthcare professionals. Medicine is an evolving field, and practitioners must constantly update their knowledge and skills. Mandatory professional development programmes, stricter licensing renewal requirements, and improved mentorship systems could help reduce errors arising from outdated practices or inadequate training. At the same time, systemic challenges within the healthcare system cannot be ignored. Many Nigerian doctors and nurses work under extremely difficult conditions—overcrowded hospitals, outdated equipment, staff shortages, and overwhelming patient loads. Such pressures increase the risk of mistakes and professional burnout.

Improving healthcare infrastructure, funding, and staffing is therefore not merely an administrative matter; it is a fundamental requirement for patients’ safety. Equally important is transparency when allegations of negligence arise. Investigations must be timely, credible, and accessible. Families deserve to know what happened to their loved ones and whether professional standards were breached. Regulatory bodies must ensure that findings are communicated clearly so that public confidence in the healthcare system is strengthened. The tragedy that drew national attention to medical negligence should not be treated as an isolated incident involving a prominent personality. Rather, it should serve as a wake-up call for systemic reform.

Every Nigerian life carries equal value. Justice must not depend on prominence or privilege. When citizens demand accountability and institutions respond with fairness and transparency, trust begins to grow. Nigeria’s health sector is filled with dedicated doctors, nurses, and medical workers who save lives daily despite difficult conditions. Recognising their commitment, however, should not prevent society from confronting the reality that negligence sometimes occurs—and when it does, it must be addressed firmly. If this painful moment encourages Nigerians to speak up, demand accountability, and push for stronger regulatory systems, it may yet produce meaningful reform. Citizens must refuse to accept negligence as fate, while government strengthens oversight and improves healthcare conditions. Only through this collective effort can Nigeria build a healthcare system where every patient—regardless of social status—receives safe, responsible, and dignified care.

By: Calista Ezeaku

Opinion

As The World Celebrates Women

Published

4 hours ago

March 16, 2026

The Tide

Quote:” “Every woman who works tirelessly to raise her children, run a business, support her family or contribute to her community is shaping the future of society. These quiet, everyday efforts may not always make headlines, but they remain the foundation upon which strong families, communities and nations are built.”

The celebration of International Women’s Day offers another important moment to reflect on the strength, resilience and achievements of women across the world. It is a time not only to celebrate the progress made over the years, but also to recognise the courage, determination and commitment that continue to define women’s contributions in every sphere of society. Across the globe, women are steadily breaking barriers and redefining possibilities. From leadership and governance to science, education and enterprise, women continue to prove that their capacity to contribute meaningfully to development is limitless. Particularly inspiring are the strides being made by women across Africa and here in Nigeria. In many instances, these achievements are recorded despite limited access to resources and opportunities when compared with their counterparts in other parts of the world. Yet, through determination, hard work and resilience, women continue to rise above these challenges and make their mark

In Nigeria today, the role of women in national development is increasingly evident. Women are actively shaping policies, building businesses, strengthening institutions and supporting communities. Their influence can be seen in sectors such as healthcare, education, media, technology and public administration. Through dedication and innovation, they contribute significantly to the growth and stability of the nation. In Rivers State, women have also distinguished themselves in remarkable ways. Across different sectors, they continue to make meaningful contributions to the political, economic and social advancement of the state. Many are thriving as entrepreneurs, running successful businesses, supporting their families and creating opportunities for others. Others are making valuable contributions within the healthcare sector, working tirelessly as doctors, nurses and administrators to improve the wellbeing of communities.

Women in the state are also excelling in academia, nurturing young minds and contributing to knowledge through teaching and research. In the media and communication sector, they play critical roles in information dissemination, shaping public conversations and telling the stories that matter to society. Within government institutions and the civil service, women continue to demonstrate professionalism, competence and dedication to duty. Over the years, Rivers State has produced women whose accomplishments have earned them respect and admiration both within and outside the state. The Deputy Governor of Rivers State, Professor Ngozi Nma Odu, stands as one such example. A seasoned academic and public servant, she continues to demonstrate the capacity of women to contribute meaningfully to governance and policy development. Her presence in such a high office serves as encouragement to young women who aspire to leadership and public service.

Similarly, the Head of Service of Rivers State, Dr. (Mrs.) Inyingi S. I. Brown, has demonstrated strong leadership within the public service. Her role in coordinating and strengthening the activities of the civil service reflects years of dedication, professionalism and commitment to service. Another notable example is Justice Mary Odili, whose distinguished career in the judiciary stands as a testament to discipline, excellence and commitment to justice. Her years of service at the highest level of Nigeria’s judicial system have made her a respected figure and a source of inspiration to many. While these women have earned public recognition for their contributions, it is equally important to acknowledge the countless women whose efforts often go unnoticed. Across homes, workplaces and communities, many women continue to make sacrifices that sustain families and strengthen society. Every woman who works tirelessly to raise her children, run a business to support her family, contribute to community development or serve diligently in her workplace is also making a significant impact.

These everyday efforts, often carried out quietly, remain vital to the growth and stability of society. As we reflect on the significance of this occasion, it is important to remember that every woman’s contribution matters. Whether in leadership positions or within the everyday responsibilities of life, the role of women remains central to the progress of our communities.To every woman striving to achieve her dreams despite the challenges along the way, your efforts are valid, seen and meaningful. Your journey matters. Your resilience, dedication and determination continue to inspire hope for a better and more inclusive society.

Happy International Women’s Day.

By: Ledornubari@star

Opinion

Agony In Ivory Tower

Published

7 days ago

March 9, 2026

The Tide

Quote: A university that tolerates missing scripts, result manipulation and ‘sorting’ is not merely failing students—it is quietly destroying the moral foundation of education itself.”

The sad cases of missing scripts, compulsory Sorting, inputting of wrong results and other obnoxious practices in some public universities, leave much to be desired. One cannot imagine how a student will be compelled to suffer consequences of the flagrant negligence of a Head of Department, a lecturer, Department staff or an ICT staff.Many academic and non academic staff in several public universities seem to be performing far below standard, thus unproductive to the university system. The unacceptable cases of sorting, missing scripts, missing results, inputting of wrong grades to students, should not be mentioned in a university, not even in any academic community. This is because people who are employed to work in various positions should have cognate work experience and unquestionable competence. They should not be seen as certificate welding illiterates but people who have been proven to be worthy in learning and character, diligent and competent to carry out assigned responsibilities with minimal or no supervision.

The university as a citadel of learning should boast of men of integrity, people who are repositories of applied knowledge and competence to drive the much desired holistic development in a nation that functions on quality teaching and learning. A situation where a student having gone through the crucibles of learning and written a prescribed semester examination or class-based evaluation test, is told that his or her script is missing or that he or she did not participate in that academic exercise, or must sort to pass, is an unpardonable error and a height of callousness. In fact some lecturers and staff of Departments are using the seeming systemic defect (which is their architecture) as an opportunity to extort students. Sometimes it is discovered much to students chagrin that the supposed missing script was later discovered when a ransom was paid.

Since a lecturer, or Head of Department has in their disposal both Yam and the knife and determines who takes what (if they wish to give without strings), students have no alternative but to submit to their importunate demands in order to graduate at record time.Such practices should be unheard of in an institution that should be a vanguard of moral and ethical values and conduct. What people learn in school constitute their behavioural patterns in the society. Where the school as an agency of socialisation cannot drive positive change first in its immediate environment, then the objective of education as a bedrock for the development of society, is inevitably compromised and counter-productive. The German Reformer, Dr. Martins Luther was quoted as saying, “I advise parents not to put their wards or children in any school where the Bible is not being used as a rule of life because such institutions will unnecessarily be corrupt”.

Gleaning from Luther’s sentiment one can deduce that the lack of respect and regard for values as well as the absence of the fear of God is the greatest undoing of most public schools. Another major challenge is that lack of Information, Communication and Technology literacy or compliance on the part of some lecturers and heads of department, may have informed the decision to give students’ scripts to secretaries to compile and input students results thereby making the secretaries the determinants of students’ fate. It is not saying a new thing that some of the secretaries in the process of compiling results have inputted wrong results, omitted names or down graded some students or given unmerited grades to others.Society today is ICT-driven and ICT-literacy enhances efficiency, speed and a reasonable degree of accuracy if the person behind the computer is level headed, articulate, competent, alive to responsibilities and is aware that negligence on his or her part is not only tantamount to a disservice to the university but to the students who may not graduate at record time because of his or her (computer operator’s) gross ineptitude or carelessness.

The ICT era makes the carrying of hard copy of results obsolete as lecturers through the Heads of Department can log on to the central server of the Exams and Records (if any) or ICT unit and input students’ results directly. By so doing the incessant cases where result on spread sheet is different from the one published online, more often than not, caused by abject negligence, will be avoided. The process will also end the intermediary services of some staff in the universities’ Information, Communication and Technology Department which has become a money spinner-a lucrative source of income to many of them. In fact some ICT staff reserved the power to award grades to students depending on students’ degree of compliance to terms and conditions. They can dubiously make or unmake a student. The university community should be considered too lofty to have careless, negligent, immoral and academic or professionally deficient people as academic or non-academic staff.

The Governing Councils and Senates of universities should be proactive in addressing the menace of missing Script, inputting of wrong results and sorting. This is necessary to end the slogan “Education is scam” so the system can produce quality students who are truly found worthy in learning and in character by operators who exemplify diligence, moral and ethical values. The much-needed reform must begin within the institutions themselves, because the future of any society is shaped in its classrooms.

By: Igbiki Benibo