Ibeawuchi Frank Amagwu
The globally ravaging COVID-19, no doubt, is creating a new world order. At the centre of the new world order is technology and electronic relationships for the human race.
Currently, the only visible and reliable solutions for a COVID-19-free society are: Social distancing, healthy living and undiluted hygienic lifestyle. What is new among these is social distancing. Imagining a world without social interactions is still a dream that contemporary society is finding difficult to wake up from.
The people who ignored social distancing since the beginning of the pandemic did not live to tell the story till date and those still confused about its application as an immediate response to the ruinously destructive COVID-19 may not inherit the new world order, thereafter. Some months after its entry and pervasive impact on the human race, scientists, medical professionals and pharmaceutical stakeholders have neither found a cure, vaccine nor any reliable treatment for the disease.
Without equivocal prejudice to social media manipulations and associated conspiracy theorists, there seems to be no end date to COVID-19 for the contemporary world. While governments of various countries and stakeholders are jointly and individually making concerted efforts to stop the spread, treat the afflicted and provide for those affected by lockdowns, isolated and quarantined, they concurrently sensitize flamboyantly on social distancing among the people and this is expected to be the new way of life, the social standard in the nearest future.
Unfortunately, the major and critical issues of social distancing is strange to human existence globally, particularly in Africa. African culture and traditional customs are heavily denominated in inter personal relationships and interactions (handshakes, hugging/body contact), hence social distancing at this time would remain a nightmare for a reasonable length of time to come.
During the last general election of 2019, which ushered in the present government, Nigerians had looked forward to the use electronic voting powered by technology as a panacea to the myriad problems of electioneering in the country but were disappointed when the umpire of elections in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) paid a ridiculous and upsetting poor attention to it and boldly informed us they were ill prepared for it. Despite the huge costs and expenditures on same, the entire expenses on the project went down the gutters and till date there has not been any sign of its resurrection for future elections.
By September 2020, which is less than five months away, INEC would be conducting governorship and other elections in Edo State for a new government in that state to be sworn in by November 2020. This is also true of Ondo State who’s gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections are also expected in September, 2020. It is rather unfortunate that all political parties and gladiators are more interested in the Government House, without paying attention to how to get to the throne. This is where INEC, government and all stakeholders in the political game should step in to save Nigerians the devastation of the rampaging COVID-19 with avoidable social distancing abuses achievable through electronic voting both for the party primaries and main elections.
Currently, there are signs of political engagements and manipulations in Edo and Ondo states, and in the foreseeable future, electioneering would commence in the states.
The questions now are: how do we allow election campaigns and physical voting structure without compromising social distancing? Would there be an election this year in Edo and Ondo states while COVID-19 subsists? Would they be rescheduled or still be allowed to take place? Whichever is the direction of the answer(s), INEC and its willingness and capacity to conduct afree and fair elections through electronic voting will be a major challenge.
Interestingly, COVID-19 and its impact is no respecter of colour, race and or social status of a person neither does it spare any economy, developed or undeveloped. Every individual, economy, nation and even governments have been brought to a level of unimaginable fear and confusion by this disease and none is immune to its devastating impact.
Though experts in medicine, virology, pharmaceuticals, science and technology are making efforts to produce effective and reliable vaccines and treatment drugs in this regard, there is fear that there is no future determinable end date to the current situation globally.
This makes social distancing with associated hygienic factors and healthy living the only reliable options for the contemporary society to survive the pandemic.
With the two gubernatorial elections coming up later this year, electronic voting cannot be comprised by INEC and various stakeholders in our political system and democracy. If this is ignored, there may not be anybody left to inherit democratic governance in Nigeria after COVID-19.
Fortunately in Nigeria, there are many means of identification duly powered by citizens’ biometrics, for instance, BVN (bank verification number), voter’s card, national identity card, international passport, driver’s license and GSM numbers, which could be readily used for electronic voting. No doubt, the Nigerian voting public is adequately positioned for this type of voting.
The present government and our election umpire, INEC, should wake up to the reality of electronic voting and social distancing for future elections.
•Ibeawuchi (Frank) Amagwu, Ass. Prof. (and Faculty), Micro and Development Finance, writes from Montana, USA.