I WAS a proud volunteer today, 23rd February, at my polling unit in Lagos during the 2019 Nigerian Presidential and National Assembly elections.
My organizational savvy came in handy when it mattered.
I arrived at 10.20am to find people seated patiently in a queue, awaiting INEC officials. 15 minutes later at 10.35am, the officials duly arrived and started setting up their desks and polling booths in readiness for kick-off!
But there was a snag. The electorates were seated facing a different direction to where INEC were setting up. They’d always sat in that order at previous elections and they insisted that the INEC guys must be the ones to move over.
Besides, most people who had been on the queue since 7.00am as they claimed, were worried that they would lose their places if the current seating arrangement was tampered with. “A ko ni dide,” (“We won’t move”), they chorused. The young INEC supervisor and his team of NYSC members were helpless.
Stalemate!
I sat quietly and watched the scenario for a while. When I noticed that initial anger had subsided, I got up and addressed the electorates:
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen (thrice). I am not an INEC official. I am a journalist and ordinary citizen like you.
“These young people are our children. INEC has appointed them to supervise this polling unit. Let us cooperate with them so that the process can be smooth.
“They have their reasons for choosing where they’ve set up. We cannot turn our backs on them. If you cooperate with me, I can rearrange our seating so that we’re facing them and no one will lose his or her original place on the queue. Will you permit me?”
There was a resounding “YES!”
I translated my appeal into Yoruba. And what followed was another unanimous “A gba” (“We accept.”)
So, I moved into action. Line by line, I moved all the electorates until everyone was facing the INEC officials. Voting got under way and it was seamless. Everyone was happy. I was happy.
I waited long enough to ensure there were no disruptions before casting my vote. The INEC team and party agents all appealed to me to stay and help coordinate the electorates.
One of them said: “They respect you, sir, because you’re an opinion leader. If you leave now, we may not be able to control them.” I was happy to stay. I was actually enjoying my volunteer role.
I ensured that nobody jumped queue; I gave preferential consideration to the elderly, nursing mothers and the disabled. There was a partially blind woman, a deaf man and one autistic young man. No one challenged any of my decisions.
A roving Channels Television crew met me at “work.” I was invited over for an interview. I gladly obliged. “We know you, sir,” the lady reporter said to me. You’re doing a good job.”
“Oga, we need people like you in Abuja,” an elderly voter said to me after casting his ballot. “If our leaders can organize this country well and provide good leadership like you did today, Nigerians will follow.”
“Mr. Alao, we know you with Complete Sports,” said a younger voter. “You should go for the House of Reps or Senate at the next election. Your organization is superb.”
I thanked them for their kind words.
Ironically, when it was my time to vote, the card reader initially did not recognize my finger prints! I had been on my feet sweating for three hours and my fingers were damp. After some thorough cleaning, however, I was validated and proceeded to vote.
Finally, I left the polling unit at exactly 3.30pm. There were fewer than 20 people left on the queue and I felt nothing could go wrong at that stage.
The voting in my polling unit had been peaceful and uneventful. No intimidation, no harassment, no violence whatsoever. If every polling unit in Nigeria was conducted like what I experienced, we would have recorded an excellent election.
The only “distraction” we had was when some good samaritan came to distribute free bottled water and biscuits to the electorate. There was a brief commotion but order was quickly restored.
I was very proud of myself as I walked back home. I felt that I had played a significant role in the elections. I felt like a patriotic Nigerian.
May the best candidates win.
- Mumuni Alao