USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: Why are our elections such a big deal?

Thanks so much sir for this succinct, clinical intervention.

I believe it is food for thought for all of us. Only last evening I told a friend sitting next to me as I drove that in civilized climes, elections hold on a work day and you swiftly returned to your desk soon after casting your ballot. Life continues normally thereafter. But in our dear country, there is so much fuss. Worse still, the international airports are full of anxious persons running away because there is an election on the morrow! It all seems to me to be a high theatre of the absurd.

Let us hope that hereafter, we will grow to learn that after Today, the Sun will rise again from the depths of the sea and there will be a Tomorrow which our children have the birthright to inherit. To have an elite at all is to have a thinking, thoughtful, benevolent class.

Yours truly,

DL

Prof. Dele Layiwola
Institute of African Studies
University of Ibadan, Ibadan
Nigeria

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From: Solomon Omorodion Uwaifo <so_uwaifo@yahoo.co.uk>
To: "ayo_olukotun@yahoo.com" <ayo_olukotun@yahoo.com>
Cc: Michael Vickers <mvickers@mvickers.plus.com>; Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>; Tade Aina <tadeakinaina@yahoo.com>; "takehinde@yahoo.com" <takehinde@yahoo.com>; toks x <toksx@yahoo.com>; Nduka Otiono <Nduka.Otiono@carleton.ca>; Noel Ihebuzor <noel.ihebuzor@gmail.com>; Shehu Dikko <shehuspen@gmail.com>; Obadiah Mailafia <obmailafia@gmail.com>; "oibeanu@yahoo.co.uk" <oibeanu@yahoo.co.uk>; bolaji akinyemi <rotaben@yahoo.com>; "raufu.mustapha@qeh.ox.ac.uk" <raufu.mustapha@qeh.ox.ac.uk>; Richard Joseph <richardjoseph65@gmail.com>; Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso <jumoyin@gmail.com>; Oluwaniyi Osundare <oosunda1@uno.edu>; olukotun bob-kunle <bobkunle@yahoo.com>; "attahirujega@yahoo.com" <attahirujega@yahoo.com>; "attehsun@yahoo.com" <attehsun@yahoo.com>; david atte <david_atte@yahoo.com>; "abati1990@yahoo.com" <abati1990@yahoo.com>; Akin Osuntokun <akinosuntokun@yahoo.com>; Abubakar Momoh <amomoh2002@yahoo.com>; Femi Osofisan <okinbalaunko@yahoo.com>; Festus Adedayo <fesadedayo@yahoo.com>; Prof Bayo Adekanye <profbayo_adekanye@yahoo.com>; Prof. Funmi Adewumi <funmi.adewumi@elizadeuniversity.edu.ng>; Bose <bose@pindfoundation.org>; Remi Sonaiya <remisonaiya@yahoo.com>; Wale Adebanwi <waleadebanwi@gmail.com>; "Obadare, Ebenezer Babatunde" <obadare@ku.edu>; Ibrahim Gambari <ibrahim.gambari@gmail.com>; "irenepogoson@yahoo.com" <irenepogoson@yahoo.com>; "isumona@yahoo.com" <isumona@yahoo.com>; Adebayo Ninalowo <bayoninalowo@yahoo.co.uk>; "samohuabunwa@gmail.com" <samohuabunwa@gmail.com>; sat obiyan <satobiyan@yahoo.com>; Segun Awonusi <segunawo@yahoo.com>; "senatormamora@yahoo.com" <senatormamora@yahoo.com>; "Haastrup, Deji Olaolu" <DejiHaastrup@chevron.com>; Hafsat Abiola <hafsatabiola@hotmail.com>; "adebayow@hotmail.com" <adebayow@hotmail.com>; "sistertees@hotmail.com" <sistertees@hotmail.com>; "jibrilbala@gmail.com" <jibrilbala@gmail.com>; Jibrin Ibrahim <jibo72@yahoo.com>; Jide Owoeye <babsowoeye@gmail.com>; "josuntokun@yahoo.com" <josuntokun@yahoo.com>; Olatundun Janet Adelegan <olatundunja@yahoo.com>; "Chukwuma, Innocent" <I.Chukwuma@fordfoundation.org>; Lai Olurode <olurode@yahoo.com>; "lajinadu@yahoo.com" <lajinadu@yahoo.com>; Dele Layiwola <delelayiwola@yahoo.com>; yomi layinka <yourme5@yahoo.co.uk>; Gabriel Ogunmola <gbogunmola@yahoo.com>; "ggdarah@yahoo.com" <ggdarah@yahoo.com>; grace omoshaba <gmso2002@yahoo.com>; maggie anaeto <maganaeto@yahoo.co.uk>; Margaret Ayansola <mdayansola@gmail.com>; "medaton@yahoo.com" <medaton@yahoo.com>; chibuzo nwoke <chibuzonwoke@yahoo.com>; "alabaogunsanwo@gmail.com" <alabaogunsanwo@gmail.com>; abiodun raufu <abiodunraufu@yahoo.com>; Akinlawon Mabogunje <mabogunje1931@yahoo.com>; "Akinadeniyi, Oluyemisi" <O.Akinadeniyi@fordfoundation.org>; "alexgboyega@yahoo.com" <alexgboyega@yahoo.com>; "alliwo@yahoo.co.uk" <alliwo@yahoo.co.uk>; "anujah@yahoo.com" <anujah@yahoo.com>; Emmanuel Remi Aiyede <eaiyede@yahoo.com>; "employlawone@aol.com" <employlawone@aol.com>; "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>; "osaghaeeghosa@yahoo.co.uk" <osaghaeeghosa@yahoo.co.uk>; Francis Ojo <ojofrank@gmail.com>; "abigaily2k@yahoo.com" <abigaily2k@yahoo.com>; Hassan Saliu <hassansaliu2003@gmail.com>; Tunde Oseni <tundeoseni@gmail.com>; "dr_golat@yahoo.com" <dr_golat@yahoo.com>; "paddykay20o2@yahoo.com" <paddykay20o2@yahoo.com>; "kajibade@gmail.com" <kajibade@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 9:44 PM
Subject: Re: Why are our elections such a big deal?

The question is absurd. Most Nigerians and much of concerned humanity believe that our 'elections' are about battles for access to the public till. This particular column has said so in many words in the past. Why expect a battle for life and its means of sustenance to be less than a big deal?
From the unfinished battle over the 'election' to hold tomorrow, if not from past ones, I think that percipient Nigerians have learned that the battles are for individual as well as for ethnic access to the public till. They have also learned that some of us would surrender ethnic leadership to dregs among us, if we think they have a chance to win 'election' for us, rather than have Angels from other ethnic groups rule us. Why should our elections not be a big deal? SOU

Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 27, 2015, at 02:25, ayo_olukotun@yahoo.com wrote:
>
>
> http://www.punchng.com/opinion/viewpoint/why-are-our-elections-such-a-big-deal/
>
> Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld from Glo Mobile.