THERE was an undercurrent of you can’t pull it off in a number of newspaper headlines in U.S. press as Nigerians went to the polls to elect their president. Three examples will suffice, two of which were published on March 28. The Washington Post proclaimed that “The Nigerian presidential vote is extended amid glitches and fears of violence.” The Los Angeles Times published a story that was laced with some cynicism. Its intro stated that “After widespread failures of a new electronic voter ID system aimed at preventing ballot-rigging, Nigerian election officials extended voting through Sunday in a tightly contested presidential race that some worry will prove a prelude to violence.” And, an Associated Press story (March 29) informed the world that “Nigerians continue voting Sunday, after technical hitches and despite some extremist violence.”
All masked doomsday prophesies did not come to pass. Who knows what the headlines might have proclaimed if the elections had actually resulted in the type of violence suggested prior to, and during polling, in the foreign press? At the end of polling, Jonathan ran out of Goodluck and lost the vote. But, he quickly etched his name in history books by his post-election humility and decision to put Nigeria far above personal ego and lust for power.
Post election attitude
This is how President Obama, through a White House press release, responded to President Jonathan’s unprecedented post-election attitude and show of moral courage: “President Jonathan has placed his country’s interests first by conceding the election and congratulating President-Elect Buhari on his victory. I look forward to working with President Jonathan throughout the remainder of his term, and I thank him for his many years of service and his statesmanlike conduct at this critical juncture.”
INEC which conducted the election was equally singled out for some praise by the U.S. president. Here is what he said: “Nigeria’s Independent National Election Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Attahiru Jega, deserve special recognition for what independent international observers have deemed a largely peaceful and orderly vote. I commend INEC for its extensive efforts to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.”
As expected, part of the felicitations went to the in-coming president when Obama said that “On behalf of the American people, I extend congratulations to the people of Nigeria and to President-Elect Buhari and look forward to continuing to work with the newly-elected government on our many shared priorities.”
It appears the Associated Press, with a reporting presence in Nigeria, was at the forefront of coverage of the presidential election. From its insinuations of possible violence, it went into the reality of the polls in headlines such as “Obama praises Nigeria’s president for conceding defeat” and “Obama urges unity in Nigeria after historic election” (both, on April 1, 2015). In the latter, the news agency reported that “Obama spoke separately on Wednesday with Muhammadu Buhari, who was declared the winner, and outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan.”
What all these strands of coverage indicate is that despite all negative things that are written and broadcast about Nigeria, the U.S. knows that it is hard to talk about Africa without mentioning and reckoning with Nigeria. It is not even an option to choose to ignore a country with close to 180 million people, and with such vast, if often mismanaged, potential. There was a time in Nigeria’s fairly recent history when the country so commanded international recognition and respect that at various international forums, whoever was Nigeria’s foreign minister got more attention than a number of African presidents.
The restoration of that greatness appears to be the main message in the presidential election. Goodluck Jonathan has his legion of critics, but one can reasonably argue that his final act, bowing out of the stage in an unprecedented peaceful manner, might well be the foundation for taking Nigeria back to its deserved pre-eminent position in Africa and beyond. As the VOA editorial eloquently said, Nigerians now expect the fulfillment of the promise of a great nation.
It may not be realistic to say that Nigeria will soon get back to the 1980s situation when one Naira fetched almost two American dollars. But, it is a realistic expectation that the three-pronged issues of security, corruption and the economy must be seriously addressed by the in-coming Buhari administration. It is clear that the world is waiting and watching Nigeria’s next footsteps, in the belief and expectation that the new government will not squander the goodwill it got at the polls.
VANGUARD
END
Be the first to comment