DAILY TRUST
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
.DAILY~TRUST
Presidential election: A . celebration and agnas,hing of teeth
EDITORIAL No. 20 P.O.w. Mafemi Crescent, Off Solomon Lar Way, Utako District, Abuja 09-6726241,6715364
Restricting food imports from Japan
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he Federal Government recently announced the restriction of certain food imports from '1uake-stricken Japan, adding Nigeria to a list of countries and路 regions that took similar measures. This followed fears of radioactive contamination from the.crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. The plant which was struck by the March 11 earth quake and tsunami sent panic across the globe as radioactive reagents poured into the ocean and reportedly contaminated food items and water in Japan and neighbouring countries. Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu asked the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to temporarily restrict all food and water imports from Japan. He said food and water imported into the country prior to the March II earthquake and tsunami were not affected by the ban. Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant accident has already resulted in serious pollution to local food and agricultoral produce. The food ban covers dairy, aquatic and vegetable products as well as fruits and fruit juice from the Japanese prefectores of Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Ibaraki and Chiba. Reports indicated that the Japanese government has already detected excessive ra<;lioactive matter from many regions' related food and agricultural produce, and has applied rules prohibiting the distribution of food products. Japan has also halted shipm~nts of vegetables and milk from near the stricken nuclear plant, while Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the United States, Taiwan and Hong Kong, among others have restricted food imports from japan as a measure aimed at curtailing spread of diseases that may likely associate with radioactive materials. The federal government acted with promptness and justification in responding to the threat of contaminated consumables finding their way into Nigeria. Taking such a measure should be backed by vigilance on the part of officials who should ensure compliance. This is to check the activities of unscrupulous persons who may capitalise on the sitoation to pursue their selfish business interest, even to the detriment of the general wellbeing of the society. Experience in the past has shown how toxic waste materials easily found their way into the country unchecked despite the large number of security agents at our borders. The same trend was experienced during the period of mad cow disease and the HINI disease also known as bird flu, epidemic. Contaminaiedchicken and beef were freely available in Nigerian markets. Similarly, regulatory agencies are yet to find a way of putting a stop '. to the preponderance of illicit drugs and unwholesome food items cur. 'rentlycirculating in Nigerian markets, despite the extensive legal powers and financial wherewithal they command. It wouldn't be a surprise to hear that as government announced the ban, some unpatriotic people may have perfected plan to flood the market with these items. To ensure that this does not happen, the government should implement appropriate measures and ensure that none of the banned items get into the country. NAFDAC and Nigeria Customs Service officials shoul!! be on the look out to ensot)' that illicit, expired or banned drugs and food items do not get into the country. The unfolding catastrophe in Japan should serve as a wakeup call for Nigeria which has, over the years become import-dependent, despite its abundant human and material resources to produce its own food. Government should initiate moves towards revamping the nation's ailing agriculture sector in order to reduce dependence on imported food items. Japan's nuclear predicament is also a cautionary tale to all countries who contemplate going the nuclear way to generate energy. Germany has already commissioned experts to consider alternative methods of energy that is non-nuclear. The human cost of nuclear energy is having governments around the world to pause and reconsider. The debate is far from over, because there are experts who believe that the Japan disaster actually makes it inev.itable that the future of safe and reliable energy lies in building more reactors. The Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority should be able to provide insights in how to move forward in this regard.
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had looked forward to . Nigerians . celebrating . "'as one, the victories ' of the cond\!deit , elections, . seeing -how peaceful we had been at the polling stations throughout the country. No rancour was visible at the polling stations as Nigerians dutifully took their place in the queues to cast their ballots. It was too good to be true and one felt proud as members of the international observer tearns spoke in glowing ierms about the darity and the acceptabUity of the unfolding elections process. Every semblance of transparency had been dear to me, with INEC Chair Professor Attahiru Jega sitting right on top of matters as we nudged towards the end of the three-tiered elections. It is therefore a. saddening disgrace that one is writing this column in the night of a curfew across tbe North, where elements in the region have taken to tbe streets demonstrating violently against the outcomeof tbe elections. Tbis violent response is uncivilized and uncalled for, no matter tbe discrepancies or suspicion of manipulations. In the absence of any substantive evidence of fraud in the elections, the post election violence is sheer brazen lawlessness and should be condemned as such. In an election in wbich an articulate grievance procedure bas been well laid out. violence and wanton destruction of life and property is not acceptable. n the 2011 elections. Nigerians bad been more anxious for the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission to succeed in his crucial task, than they were about who won the election. A well conducted believable and acceptable election meant everything to Nigerians, for in all past elections since independence, winners bad been dedared, but the process was justifiably faulted and the outcome disbelieved. In all past republics, the winner ruled over a country, whose opposition hardly ever accepted the legitimacy of the government, and worked to bring it down. This accounted for tbe incessant military coups that tbe country Nigeria experienced since independence. Today, sadly, our best attempt to
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Timawus. Mathias' timmathias@yahoo.(om change this course of history and achieve progress has been marred by politicians.
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he !lovelty of publicly collating the results before the national glare of television was greeted with a frown on half the face and a smile all the other. President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party won by 22 million votes and quallied in 31 states. while General Mubammadu Bubari, candidate
for the Congress for ProgreSSive caused Christian communities in Change, polled 12 million votes, the North to vote PDP, enabling qualifying in 16 states to come Goodluck Jonathan to secure the mandatory 25 per cent of second. The victory is Goodluck say Kaduna, where even thougb Jonathan's, who steam rolled the Muhammadu Buhari was overall electoral act through the National. winner, riots broke o ut. Thus shamefully, the celebraAssembly, appointed Professor Jega. and did not on ly approve . tion of the most well conducted, the mind-blowing budget for the transparent and credible election result has been marred by the irraelection, saw to the release of the tional and uncivilized conduct of funds to !NEe. It was as if the the organized opposition, and the preSident was not himself contesting. North if-Sft battered and divided along e . ic and religious lines. I am cer . that this sitoation is ut for the mindless violence and disturbances, we not wh~ lOur leaders desired. would by n ow have been celebrating the excellence and his is \lot saying that the . genuine commitment of Profes' electi~" was faultless. In an ';: human endeavsor Attahiru Jega in giving Nigerians an election that is not only our, especi y one that entails umpiripg a completive election credible, but seen to be so. To in a complex society like Nigeria, me, the true hero of this political development is Professor Attathere are bound to be lapses, hiru Mohammed Jega, wbo we some of them bordering on the must recognize, has made the criminal. But to resort to viofIrst attempt in our bistory to give lence that destroys life and prop, ., us a credible election. conducted erty is wro. n.g and c~ondem nable. r' with all regards to due diligence The issues anyone h as a ainst . . . 'ea elections srnllitifb~~-and transparency. and re(\resS"sought and secu red through laid down processes. The violence should be stopped. For Nigeria to grow into a strong and viable nation. the development . and strengthening of democratic institutions is inevitable. Professor Attahiru Jega's INEC, along with all the 路 institutions that made this election. adjudged to be free, rair and credible possible, nam~ly the police and other security organizations need to be strengthened.
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Regrettably, tbe violence broke out in the North ostenSibly because the leading opposition to President Goodluck Jonathan, General lI4ubammadu Bubari was not dedared the winner. But the anguish belongs sadly to the North. The 2011 elections will go down in history as one in whicb the North split its votes, while the South voted solidly as one. In the days to come. we shall endlessly discuss wby this development has unfolded, and the matters arising. But at this on set we must discountenance the 'notion that the culprit is religion. Religion is not it! Class conflict is! As a matter of fact political puppeteers who had sought to use religion as a tool have merely harvested woes. Insecurity
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