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Lessons from Senegal: The Will of the People is Sacrosanct

Published

4 weeks ago

April 4, 2024

Eric

By Dolapo Aina

The Presidential elections which held on Sunday, March 24, 2024 was one election that the whole of West Africa and the African Continent watched with keen interests for several reasons which were pertinent to the regional bloc of ECOWAS and the Continental body of the African Union. In the West African region, Senegal has stood as a country with one of the most enviable political and democratic transition. This year’s election was not going to be different notwithstanding the myriad of political somersaults and political bottlenecks which the citizens of Senegal vociferously objected to. The two major candidates; Bassirou Diomaye Faye of PASTEF had the popular vote of 2,434,751 (54.28%) while Amadou Ba of the ruling party APR pulled 1,605,086 (35.79%).

For an on the ground and concise understanding of the dynamics of politics in Senegal, Dolapo Aina in search of answers and armed with some pertinent questions reached out to Senegal’s Dr. Fadel Ndiame, who is the CEO of Food Systems Transformation Solutions and the former Deputy President of AGRA and Nigeria’s Mr. Chris Ogunmodede, who is a consultant and policy analyst based in Dakar, Senegal.
In his own words, Chris Ogunmodede: “The conduct of the presidential election was as free, fair and transparent as an election could hope to be. There were virtually no reports of foul play anywhere and the results of the ejection generally reflected the will of the electorate.”

On the question about any doubts about the democratic processes in Senegal, Mr Ogunmodede further stated that: “I would say that I am a critic of the popular narrative about Senegal being a regional exception or “beacon of democracy in West Africa,” as is commonly said in mainstream discourse. While Senegal regularly conducts credible elections that reflect popular opinion, it is not immune to the same pitfalls of authoritarianism, weak party systems and political interference that other West African countries experience and the events of the last few months (and even the last few years) bear that out.”

On the factors that made the electorate vote in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new President, the Nigerian who resides in Senegal went thus: “Senegalese voters were largely disappointed with the tenure of President Macky Sall, who began his presidency with so much promise but soiled his reputation with his overreach and failure to ensure that Senegal’s macroeconomic indicators made a meaningful impact in the lives of people. The last straw was his ill-fated bid for a third term and imposition of an unpopular candidate on his party.”

Africans who followed the elections in Senegal voiced and chorused a ubiquitous question bordering about the uniqueness of Senegal’s democracy that the rest of Africa does not know about or unaware of. Mr Chris Ogunmodede posited and quoting him verbatim: “I would say that there is a lack of nuanced knowledge about Senegal’s political system that reflects the Anglophone bias of media coverage of Africa. But one thing other Africans must know is that for all Senegal’s shortcomings, its impressive civic participation beyond elections is something the rest of the continent can learn from.”

Senegal’s Dr. Fadel Ndiame described the just concluded elections positing that: “The elections and their outcomes were both exceptional and deeply significant in terms of the size of the victory of the opposition candidate. The irruption of PASTEF and its political discourse brought to the fore a narrative of change, a break away from the dominant system of patronage and mismanagement of public resources and corruption. It popularised a sense of deep hope for a more democratic, prosperous country, anchored on a strong ideology of political independence, shared economic prosperity and social inclusion which resonate very well with the aspirations of the Senegalese voters, especially the younger ones.”

Dr. Ndiame further elucidated that: “The biggest challenge that I see for the newly elected President and the opposition movement that brought President Faye to the Presidency, is to live up to the expectations of those who voted for them and the aspirations of the Senegalese population at large.”

On doubt(s) about the democratic processes in Senegal, the top agriculture expert went thus: “Yes, at many points in the process there were some worrying signs that the electoral process would not abide to democratic principles and constitutional rules. The most significant factors having been the imprisonment of the most popular candidates (who eventually) won the contest on a landslide, despite their last-minute release from prison and the large number of candidates. Luckily it was possible for the main political contenders to find an acceptable arrangement which enabled the continuation of the political process and the inclusion of some or the key political figures to compete for the vote of the Senegalese people. There were also some concerns about the integrity of the whole electoral process.”

On the possible factors that made the electorate vote in Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new President of Senegal; Dr Ndiame posited that: “This requires more studies of the election results and how the vote distribution across region and demographics groups. But it seems like the leadership of PASTEF succeeded in articulating the concerns and aspirations of voters and especially the younger segments of the voters who were eager to sanction the ruling party and its candidates.”

Other contributing factors could have been the popular perception that the government of the day was compromising the constitutional rules, and abusively cracking down of the leading opposition party and leader; containing and curtailing the freedom of the independent media, while controlling the parliament and the judiciary. The election of President Diomaye is to be a popular referendum against that system. So said the former deputy President of AGRA.
On the question about Senegal’s democracy that the rest of Africa might not be aware of, Dr Ndiame wen thus: “Well, I would say Senegal has a historical tradition of democracy and constitutionally grounded rights for people and their institutions; while the system still needs to be strengthened to maintain checks and balances, and ensure an equilibrium between different centres of powers (political, economic, social and religious. In my view, this is what we are experiencing in Senegal which is simply; political and citizenry maturation processes that take time and require the good will of the leadership of all sectors (public, private, civil society, the religious and traditional). Ultimately for Senegal and any other country, the priority is to build and strengthen our institutions, guarantee the full independence of the judicial system, investing in the political literacy and education of the electorate, to enable their voices heard in a loud, but peaceful and democratic way.”

As President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye gets inaugurated as the President of Senegal on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, the citizens of the West African country are expectant and will hold their leaders accountable as they have always done. One major lesson from Senegal is that the unflinching will of the people must be obeyed by all and sundry including players, partakers and observers. And most importantly, the will of the electorate is sacrosanct still.

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British-Nigerian, 14, Killed in Knife Attack in UK

Published

15 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Eric

UK police named a 14-year-old boy killed in a sword attack in London this week as Daniel Anjorin, as officers released more details about how the violent rampage unfolded.

Anjorin, a British-Nigerian pupil attended Bancroft’s private school in Woodford Green – also attended by Nottingham attack victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar.

He died on Tuesday morning as he walked to school in Hainault, in the east of Britain’s capital, when he was attacked by a man wielding what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword.

Police tasered and arrested the suspect, a 36-year-old man who remains in custody on suspicion of murder. He has not been named and was not previously known to police.

The independent school attended by Anjorin said in a statement Wednesday that they had been left in “profound shock and sorrow” at the pupil’s death.

“He was a true scholar, demonstrating commendable dedication to his academic pursuits. His positive nature and gentle character will leave a lasting impact on us,” Bancroft’s, in Woodford Green, near Hainault, said.

London’s Metropolitan Police force said Tuesday’s horror unfolded just before 7:00 am (0600 GMT) when the accused crashed a van into a house fence, hitting a 33-year-old man before stabbing him in the neck.

A 35-year-old man was then attacked inside a nearby property, causing lacerations to his arm, before Anjorin was killed.

Police arrived on the scene 12 minutes after the first emergency call and attempted to neutralise the suspect with incapacitant spray and a Taser gun but these had little effect.

The suspect seriously injured two police officers, both of whom required surgery on Tuesday and remain in hospital.

One, a woman, suffered severe injuries to her arm and nearly lost a hand, the Met said.

The man fled again as terrified witnesses took cover in houses before police used a Taser to overpower him, detaining him 22 minutes after the initial call.

Police have said the attack was not terror-related.

It came amid a rise in stabbings in the United Kingdom and shortly before voters decide whether to re-elect London mayor Sadiq Khan for a record third term in local elections Thursday.

Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has criticised the opposition Labour Party’s Khan for his record on crime.

Anjorin’s death is the second recent tragedy to hit Bancroft’s, after a former pupil, Grace O’Malley-Kumar, was killed in Nottingham last year as she tried to save her friend from a knife attacker.

Valdo Calocane was sentenced to indefinite detention in a psychiatric hospital for stabbing to death 19-year-old O’Malley-Kumar, fellow student Barnaby Webber and 65-year-old school caretaker Ian Coates.

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Adebogun Commends Tinubu over Rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Imota-Itoikin-Epe Road

Published

17 hours ago

May 1, 2024

Eric

Renowned educationist, and Proprietor/Chief Executive Officer, Caleb Group of Schools, Dr. Oladega Adebogun, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for speedy and comprehensive rehabilitation of the Ikorodu-Imota-Itoikin-Epe Road, which formerly ranked as one of the worst in Nigeria, and had been albatross to past administrations.

A statement signed by the Director, Public Relations, Caleb University, Imota, Mr. Abimbola Olulesi, and made available to this medium, noted that Adebogun gave his commendation during an interactive session with the media, affirming that President Tinubu, by his singular action, has renewed the hope of residents, motorists and commuters, who had lost hope that the road will ever be repaired, considering its total deplorable state.

He recollected that the Ikorodu-Imota-Itoikin-Epe road, before the rehabilitation, ranked among the worst roads not just in Lagos State but across the country.

“The road usually gets abandoned during the rainy season, and had posed a recurring nightmare to motorists and commuters along the Ikorodu through Imota to Itoikin axis, and as far as Epe. It was a particularly harrowing experience for road users during vacation and festive periods,” Adebogun said.

The Proprietor joyfully noted that it was a huge sigh of relief for residents when the rehabilitation was completed in March this year, reducing Ikorodu to Epe travel time from about two hours to less than thirty minutes.

He added that the rehabilitation of the road is a positive pointer and attestation to the fact that many more development projects promised by the people-oriented, focused and egalitarian government of President Tinubu would be completed and delivered.

Adebogun also commended the Honourable Minister of Works, His Excellency, Dr. Dave Umahi, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru for the various roles they played in the actualization of the rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Imota road.

He recalled that Governor Sanwo-Olu had personally visited to access the deplorable condition of the road early this year while Senator Abiru had moved a motion in 2021 on the floor of the Nigerian Senate on, “The Urgent Need for the Rehabilitation of the the Ikorodu-Sagamu and Ikorodu-Itoikin-Epe Roads to further bridge the Infrastructure Gap and Enhance Economic Growth in Nigeria”.

Senator Abiru also has to his credit many laudable achievements which earned him the appellation of “Doing Good Senator” such as: The Senator Abiru Innovation Lab(SAIL), which is “the first of its kind innovation hub” in Lagos East Senatorial District which he set up for young people and entrepreneurs; N300 Million Naira Constituency Intervention Revolving Loan, Health facilities and construction of blocks of classrooms he facilitated across the district, provision of grant to 1,250 market women, award of bursary to 600 higher institution students and monthly support for over 2500 vulnerable constituents. Others include provision of many transformers across Lagos East Senatorial District, building of Epe Sports Complex as well as sponsorship of many legislation and motions of national significance.

Adebogun also remarked that, in less than one year of assuming office, President Tinubu had performed beyond expectation and deserves the goodwill and support of all Nigerians to actualise all aspects of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He further paid tributes to President Tinubu for the promise announced by the Honourable Minister of Works, Dr. Dave Umahi, that the dualization of the Ikorodu-Imota-Itoikin-Epe Road would commence in earnest as the second phase of the road repair project.

He therefore appealed to all well-meaning Nigerians to put aside mundane differences and join hands with the government for the full realization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

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No Such Deals Exist, Maersk Debunks $600m Investment Agreement with Nigeria

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2024

Eric

A report from Lloyd’s List has debunked the statement of the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government that Maersk has concluded and signed an agreement for a $600 million into the port sector.

The paper’s report reads:

A $600m investment into Nigeria’s port sector from Maersk, announced personally by the West African state’s president Bola Tinubu on Sunday, appears to be less solid than the government initially claimed.

Despite a presidential statement from Tinubu detailing how he had secured the purported investment during a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh over the weekend, Maersk officials have confirmed that no such agreement is in place and no deals have been signed.

The Nigerian government statement detailed how A.P Moller-Maersk chairman Robert Maersk Uggla had discussed the investment with president Tinubu on the sidelines of a meeting discussing energy development and growth. The statement even included a direct quote attributed to Uggla saying: “We believe in Nigeria, and we will invest $600 million in existing facilities and make the ports accommodating for bigger ships”.

But according to Maersk, that deal does not exist.

Company officials said while Uggla did meet the president, no such deal had been signed.

“Maersk has been present in Nigeria for 35 years and, as a global provider of logistics services, we remain committed to develop opportunities for growth to people, the port sector and businesses locally,” the company said in a statement to Lloyd’s List.

“Therefore, it is natural to have an ongoing dialogue with the administration. However, we are not able to comment on any investment talks.”

Maersk is due to report first-quarter results on Thursday, meaning that management are in a regulatory quiet period limiting what they can say publicly about the company’s activities.

Nigeria has promised to revamp its ports, including in the commercial capital Lagos, to ease congestion.

Tinubu’s statement explained that his government would support the modernisation and automation of its ports to improve trade, reduce corruption and boost efficiency. He claimed that the purported Maersk investment would “complement the administration’s ongoing $1bn investment in seaport reconstruction across the eastern and western seaports of Nigeria”.

“A bet on Nigeria is a winning bet. It is also a bet that rewards beyond what is obtainable elsewhere,” he said. “We need to encourage more opportunities for revenue expansion and minimise trans-shipments from larger ships to smaller ships.”