22 April 2004
(Page 2 of 2)
How does a free election address corruption?
People know which leaders are corrupt, and they can only get the leaders they trust through free and fair elections. But where a government turns the police against its people, turns the military against the people, goes to polling stations and shoots people dead, removes empty boxes and hands them in already stuffed, fills out forms at polling stations without other party agents being present to append their signatures, how can they trust any policy from such a person? For Nigeria to stabilize, there must be free and fair elections.
Isn't the establishment of sharia law in northern states in Nigeria a threat to the country's stability?
The controversy over the application of sharia is a sign of the instability with the government. It is constitutional. It was not a cause of social upheaval until it was given unfavorable publicity by communities who thought sharia was a threat to them.
It has been seen that it is not a threat to anybody. No non-Muslim has been taken before a sharia court. We have the sharia, the customary court and common law, which we inherited from the British. All it needs is for the government to properly educate people. Sharia is confined to those who believe in it. It may interest you to know that there are recorded cases in Kano and Zamfara where non-Muslims take Muslims to a Muslim court and get quicker justice. They don't need a lawyer. All they need are witnesses. It is cheaper and it is faster.
So the system with the three legal systems is viable. It is working, and we have been with it since Nigeria became one country in 1914. There is only a communication gap, which was created by the incompetence of the government. State governments chose to introduce it, limiting it to their own states and their houses of assembly, approved it and it became law.
It is a question of leadership and I always go back to free and fair elections. If you allow someone to make money anyhow, raise an army, bribe officials and law enforcement just to win elections, the instability will only get worse.
You are here on a private visit, but have you had conversations with US government officials? What do you hope to achieve from this visit?
Yes, I have talked to officials. I won't mention names. They ask the same questions you ask because they also want to know what is going on. The two requests I made to the people whose names I am not mentioning are, first, that they should please lead and ensure free and fair election in Nigeria. It is the foundation for the stabilization of democracy. The next elections would probably be at the end of the year and then 2007.
The second is that they should make sure that the present government abides by the decision of the Supreme Court. The government should be the first to maintain law and order. If they break the law then we cannot expect peace and stability in the country. I expect the government to abide by the law, but there is need for a lot of encouragement from the U.S.
Don't you mean pressure?
I would say encouragement.
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