I have witnessed many elections since 1979 and I can say without any equivocation that the 2023 election was the best, the most free and fair, the most transparent.
Those who are pillorying the election and INEC, the electoral umpire are simply saying so because the outcome of the election, especially the presidential election did not match their expectation.
May God forgive them, especially the men in cassocks, who in their hallucination, had prophesied victory for their favourite candidate, claiming it was a message from God.
It must be clear to Nigerians that those clerics were not in any conclave with the Almighty God. Their prediction was their personal desires, which went unfulfilled by God.
God surely has other plans for our country and instead chose a man, who has the best leadership pedigree and espouses the best vision to pilot our affairs from 29 May.
Man indeed proposes, God disposes. Our clergymen, not satisfied with the divine and INEC verdict have been all out disparaging the election. The latest of them was Cardinal John Onaiyekan of the Catholic Church.
News reports said the Octogenarian claimed that the election was rigged. He accused some unidentified people of masterminding the rigging and claimed that God knows those riggers.
To Onaiyekan, the alleged machination of ‘those riggers’ made impossible the manifestation of the ‘people’s will’ in the outcome announced by INEC. This lie, nay a malicious propaganda, has been told repeatedly by the opposition parties and their supporters since 1 March when Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was declared as President-elect.
The lie has been sold abroad to people who do not have a first-hand information on how INEC conducted the poll.
The lie is simply vicious. It must stop. It is a lie for which the purveyors, no matter their status, ought to earn the wrath of God on earth and in heaven. It is not true.
Without holding brief for INEC, which has filed its defence at the Tribunal, which begins sitting on 8 May, I repeat again that the 2023 election was the best since the return to democracy in 1999. It was miles ahead of the heavily compromised 2007 election conducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo, wherein the beneficiary of the electoral heist, Umaru Yar’Adua apologised for the embarrassment.
Yar’Adua atoned for Obasanjo’s sin by setting up the Justice Uwais Commission to sanitise our election process.
Since then, our elections have gotten better, election cycle after election cycle.
The introduction of BVAS made a significant difference and made the 2023 election, the most technologically driven poll ever conducted in our country. And the best. BVAS made it impossible for parties to record outlandish numbers in their strongholds. It ensured that only the accredited voters voted. INEC deserves praise not ridicule.
All the critics of INEC, on account of the non-transmission of the results recorded at the 176,000 polling units are purely doing so for mischief.
The criticism is most misplaced as the so-called result transmission was additional to what happened at the polling unit. It is superfluous.
In the presidential and National Assembly elections, all polling units tallied votes cast and each party polling agent was given a copy of Form EC8. Collation of polling unit results was done at the ward level and from there to the council level and then the state level. Political parties usually know how they fared in the election by the time votes are tallied at ward or council level.
Parties do not need to wait for INEC upload of polling unit results on its portal to know the entire result of the election. They do not also need to wait for the results announced at the Abuja Collation Centre. In 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan conceded to President Muhammad Buhari before INEC’s announcement, because he and his agents had the figures from all the states. He conceded because he knew the election was already lost to Buhari.
In a development that is extremely strange to our politics, the Labour Party and the PDP initially sponsored calls for an interim government. When that did not get traction, they mounted vicious attacks on INEC for not uploading the results on time, using this lapse to vilify an election that was the best in our country. It’s like condemning your bank for not printing a receipt for a credit payment, when the money is already sitting pretty in your account and you have received the alert.
The Labour Party and the PDP and their surrogates, some of them lawyers, clerics and some ethnic groups have also mounted desperate campaign for the postponement of the inauguration of the President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu on 29 May. Some other groups, including the leading labour and partisan unions, the NLC and TUC, in league with some equally partisan civil society organisations are blackmailing the judges that will handle the petitions against Tinubu’e election.
We have never had such post-poll desperation, except this time that we have a Peter Obi on the ballot and an Atiku that is cocksure he has lost his last chance to gun for the nation’s No. 1 seat. Since 1999, every election held has always been disputed by losers.
The winners are allowed to be sworn in, while litigation goes on. This was the case in all elections. This is also the trend in the states. This has been the convention. It was the convention when Labour Party Vice presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed became a senator, representing Kaduna North in 2011 under the platform of Congress for Progressive Change. His challenger went to court. Baba-Ahmed’s victory was upturned, after some months, when he had been sworn in as senator.
We cannot change the convention now because some people believe that the men who came second and third in the poll, are pursuing cases in court. They should exercise patience for the judiciary to decide whether they have any strong case to invalidate Tinubu’s victory. The judiciary has always supported litigants when they have ‘substantial’ proof that they were rigged out of an election. As the tribunal begins sitting today, let Labour and its senior partner, the PDP stop further blackmail of the judiciary.
The phrase “Who will bell the cat?” originates from a medieval fable about mice who decided to put a bell on a cat to warn them of its approach.
However, they realize that the difficult part is finding a volunteer to actually bell the cat.
The story is a classic fable that teaches a valuable lesson about courage, responsibility, and the challenges of implementing a good idea.
In modern usage, the phrase is often used metaphorically to ask who will take bold action or assume responsibility for a difficult or risky task.
In the story, a group of mice gather to discuss ways to protect themselves from a sly cat that has been terrorizing them.
One clever mouse suggests attaching a bell to the cat’s neck, so the mice can hear it coming and scurry to safety.
The plan seems brilliant, but when the mice are asked who will actually bell the cat, no one volunteers.
Here lies the challenge, everyone was scared of being the victim. The mice realize that it’s easy to propose a plan, but much harder to put it into action, especially when it involves risk.
This fable highlights the importance of considering the practicalities and potential consequences of a plan, as well as the need for courage and willingness to take action.
This is the reality we have found ourselves in modern day Nigeria.
Everyone is complaining, complaining and lamenting about the harsh economic and political disequilibrium, yet no one is bold enough or has summoned the gut to take charge and offer a real solution to the present socio-economic quagmire.
Every day on various social media, the ranting is hitting the high heavens, ceilings are being shattered and walls are being broken by people, mostly the common man, about the state of affairs in the country.
Unfortunately, and like the proverbial mice, no one seems to have summoned the courage to face the Intimidators of the large chunk of the people.
Many of those caught in this web of animal oppression have been divided along fault lines, including politics, tribe, ethnicity and worst of all, religion.
Whether we belong to one religious group, political party or ethnicity is inconsequential because the harsh economy is hitting hard on everyone.
Everyone is complaining, complaining and lamenting about the harsh economic and political disequilibrium, yet no one is bold enough or has summoned the gut to take charge and offer a real solution to the present socio-economic quagmire.
People are on a daily basis dropping dead, either by committing suicide or accidental, because they cannot afford the basic needs of life such as food.
While the political leaders have been fingered as the architect of this present economic circumstance, the reality existing among the followers who in this context can be likened to the mice, is that most of them have not been able to summon the courage to take action.
At best what we hear is false courage on social media, people hiding under pseudonyms to call on unsuspecting and naive Nigerians to go out and cause mayhem, yet these same faceless groups of people oftentimes turn around to betray the people’s trust.
And When groups or individuals in positions of power prioritize their own interests over the trust placed on them, it can lead to feelings of betrayal and disillusionment.
This phenomenon can be seen in various contexts, including politics, business, and social movements.
When leaders or representatives fail to uphold their responsibilities or act with integrity, it can erode trust and undermine the relationships between those in power and the people they serve.
To mitigate these risks, it’s essential to establish robust systems of accountability, transparency, and checks and balances.
This can help ensure that those in power act in the best interests of the people they serve and not make them live like the proverbial MICE seeking for a VOLUNTEER to bell the CAT
•Emeka Monye Is A Journalist And Works With ARISE NEWS
Earlier today, a clip surfaced online showing French President Emmanuel Macron being pushed on the cheek by his wife, Brigitte Macron.
What should have sparked outrage, concern, and deep conversations around domestic violence was instead reduced to meme fodder and crude jokes.
The reaction has been as swift as it has been disturbing: mockery, laughter, judgment, and the ever familiar chorus of
“That’s what he gets for marrying his teacher.”And just like that, a moment that should have highlighted a very real issue, domestic violence against men, was drowned in ridicule. No hashtags. No public outcry.
No feminist organizations stepping forward. No nonprofit issuing a statement. Just silence. Deafening silence.Abuse is abuse, regardless of the gender of the perpetrator or the victim.
If the roles were reversed, if President Macron had slapped or pushed Brigitte Macron, there would be protests.
There would be hashtags. There would be fire and fury from advocacy groups.
The world would come to a standstill demanding accountability and protection for women, and rightly so.
But when it is a man, a world leader no less, experiencing what can only be described as a moment of public humiliation and physical aggression, the same voices fall silent.
Why? Because society has normalized the idea that men are too strong to be victims.
That their pain is comical. That their abuse is somehow deserved. And so, they suffer not just in silence but in isolation and shame.
President Macron has long been the subject of public scrutiny because of his marriage.
This age gap, had the roles been reversed, would be celebrated as empowerment or love defying the odds. But for him, it is used as a weapon to justify abuse.
And now, when a moment of violence occurs, it is brushed off with a laugh, as if his choices have made him unworthy of dignity or protection.
This is the very heart of the crisis.
Men continue to die in silence because the world refuses to see them as victims. They are mocked when they cry out. They are told to “man up” when they break down.
They are dismissed when they seek help. This stigma is not only cruel; it is deadly. Because behind the jokes are real men, fathers, brothers, sons, husbands, who endure violence every day with no one to fight for them, no one to believe them, and no safe space to heal.
Domestic violence affects men in ways that are deeply traumatic but rarely acknowledged.
Male victims often experience depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation.
They are less likely to report abuse due to fear of not being believed or being seen as weak.
Many have nowhere to go. There are far fewer shelters for men, far fewer support systems, and almost no targeted campaigns offering help.
Men are suffering, and they are doing so alone.We need more men’s initiatives, more safe houses, more trained professionals who understand the psychological and emotional toll of abuse on men.
We need funding for shelters that serve male survivors, just as we fund shelters for women. These are not competing needs.
They are shared needs. Human needs.Mainstream media must rise above the culture of mockery and begin to treat violence against men as the serious issue it is.
This is not a laughing matter. When men are assaulted, their experiences should not become viral punchlines.
They should become urgent stories, stories that call us to confront our biases and open our eyes to the full scope of domestic abuse.
Governments also have a role to play. Policy must reflect the reality that domestic violence affects all genders.
This is not a laughing matter. When men are assaulted, their experiences should not become viral punchlines
Funding for prevention, shelters, legal aid, and trauma support should be inclusive.
It is unjust to pour millions into protecting women while completely overlooking the pain of men.
Protection should never be selective. Support should never be conditional.
If a government truly cares about the safety and mental health of its citizens, then male victims of abuse must be seen, heard, and supported with the same energy and investment.
President Macron’s case was domestic violence on full display, and it is not acceptable.
The world watched it happen. And the world laughed.
But one day, maybe not today, we must ask ourselves what kind of society we are building, one where men’s suffering is the punchline, or one where every victim matters.
It is time we stop treating abuse as a gendered issue and start treating it as a human one.
Because until we do, men will keep dying in silence, while the world keeps laughing.
•Halima Layeni Men’s Mental Health Advocate Executive Director Life After Abuse Foundation
Nigeria Must Prioritize Local Defense Contractors for National Security and Economic Growth
While Nigeria strives for self-reliance and national security, its defense procurement landscape remains heavily tilted in favour of foreign contractors.
Despite the growing capacity among Indigenous defense firms, Nigeria continues to favor foreign contractors.
This pattern threatens long-term national security, economic independence, and local innovation.
While Nigeria strives for self-reliance and national security, its defense procurement landscape remains heavily tilted in favour of foreign contractors.
Despite significant strides in capacity development, manufacturing, design, and operational capability, Nigerian-owned defense companies face systemic bias and limited access to government contracts.
This preference for foreign contractors and solutions incurs costs: economically, strategically, and technologically.
If Nigeria is committed to developing a robust, sovereign, and exportable defense industry, it must start by prioritizing local contractors.
FOREIGN FIRMS STILL GET THE FIRST CALL
Today, many Nigerian companies have developed capacity.
They offer reliable, innovative, and scalable solutions, including the production of sensitive equipment/systems, tactical vehicles, protective gear, and training facilities.
Yet, when the time comes for procurement, tenders and negotiations disproportionately favour foreign companies and suppliers.
These foreign firms are not only awarded high-value contracts but are often given easier access to key decision-makers.
Local companies, by contrast, face endless social and political hurdles: excessive scrutiny, limited engagement from end-users, and a lack of pilot opportunities to prove their systems in the field.
THE COST OF MARGINALISING OUR LOCAL INDUSTRY
The consequences of this procurement imbalance are far-reaching:
Capital Flight:
Nigeria loses billions annually by supporting foreign companies instead of helping Nigerian-owned businesses.
This practice enriches foreigners economically and denies local firms the opportunity to collaborate with international partners, which could enhance technology transfer, experience, and knowledge-sharing.
Job Loss:
Neglecting local defense companies negatively impacts the Nigerian economy and leads to job losses.
Manufacturing opportunities that could employ thousands of Nigerian youth are instead given to foreign factories, resulting in the creation and maintenance of valuable jobs overseas that could have been retained in Nigeria.
Technology Dependence:
Relying on foreign suppliers undermines Nigeria’s ability to develop, control, or modify critical defence platforms.
When Nigerian companies receive support, they are encouraged to strengthen partnerships with foreign technology partners, who can provide training and opportunities for technology transfer.
This strategy is essential for helping Nigerian companies develop the necessary technology more quickly.
Export Inhibition:
Without domestic validation, Nigerian-made defense products face challenges in entering foreign markets.
Nigeria aims to promote exports across all sectors.
For exportation to be successful, our products and solutions must meet international standards.
The export of Nigerian defense products will struggle unless these items are first given a chance to succeed in Nigeria.
We need to develop our local industry, validate our products, and then actively launch them into regional and continental markets.
BRAZIL AND INDIA: CASE STUDIES IN STRATEGIC PATRONAGE
Countries such as Brazil and India have demonstrated how intentional local patronage can foster globally competitive defense industries.
In Brazil, companies like Embraer and IMBEL grew under government-backed contracts and patronage.
The Brazilian Armed Forces committed to buying local, even when products were still under development and maturing.
Today, Brazil exports military aircraft and arms globally and has become a respected defense manufacturer.
Nigerian companies require more than just praise; they need patronage. Securing contracts, creating opportunities, and engaging in long-term planning are essential for our local defense firms to thrive.
India’s ‘Make in India’ initiative transformed its defense sector by mandating local sourcing.
Companies like Bharat Forge, TATA Advanced Systems, and Larsen & Toubro received long-term government backing, which allowed them to scale and improve.
India now produces high-quality drones, tanks, and artillery systems with export potential.
The lesson is clear: Nations that support local firms boost their economies, strengthen national defense, and enhance global influence.
A CALL FOR REORIENTATION IN NIGERIA
Nigerian companies require more than just praise; they need patronage. Securing contracts, creating opportunities, and engaging in long-term planning are essential for our local defense firms to thrive.
We call on the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence, the Police, and all relevant government agencies to:
Adopt a Local-First Procurement Policy: Allocate a specific percentage of all defense procurement contracts to Nigerian companies.
Award Contracts for Capability and Growth:
Support local businesses by placing genuine orders instead of merely making promises or running pilot tests.
Various procurement models can be utilized to encourage the growth of local companies while minimizing risks for buyers.
We urge the Armed Forces and relevant purchasers to explore these models in the interest of our collective growth.
Foster Strategic Partnerships with Local Leadership:
The federal government, the armed forces, the police, and all other buyers should require foreign companies to partner with Nigerian companies to secure contracts.
Similar to the laws in places like Dubai, foreign companies should not be eligible to secure defense contracts in Nigeria directly.
They must partner with Nigerian defense companies to facilitate knowledge transfer and equity sharing with Nigerian firms.
Create End-User Incentives:
Encourage military and police leaders to implement solutions made in Nigeria and provide rewards for successful adoption.
Establish a Nigerian Defence Development Fund:
The government should create a Nigerian Defence Development Fund to provide long-term capital to local firms for research and development, infrastructure, and certifications.
THE TIME IS NOW
Nigeria’s future security needs to be developed within the country. This requires us to trust our own companies and local initiatives to provide the solutions we need.
Like Brazil and India, we must be willing to support homegrown solutions and products through their early challenges, understanding that true mastery comes with experienced local companies cannot thrive on encouragement alone—they require contracts, partnerships, and a long-term belief from their own country.
We possess the talent, ambition, and drive. What we need now is opportunity.
If Nigeria aims to become a true continental power in defense and technology, the change must begin with a simple decision:
Buy Nigerian, trust Nigerian, and defend Nigerian.
• This article was written by Bem Ibrahim Garba, a defense industry professional and advocate for indigenous industrial growth in Nigeria.
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