LELC Media Centre: Getting Inside Project

Getting Inside Project is a social-driven entrepreneurship endeavour with a three-prong focus: 

• Getting Inside Me Project
• Getting Inside Story and 
• Getting Inside Project. 

Getting Inside Me Project (GIME) is a Self-Awareness Vulnerability Indices Pointer targeted at all gender. It helps girls and women in particular to navigate personal challenges they face at school and workplace.

Getting Inside Story is an Investigative focus on gender-based issues, education, science, crime, health, environment, civic intelligence, and governance.

Getting Inside Project focuses on media career development, mentoring and training of young undergraduate journalists, up and coming journalists and broadcasters including mid-career practitioners in the media industry.

Between October and December 2018, Getting Inside Project trained over 30 journalists early and mid-career journalist and 28 mass communication interns across electronic broadcast organisations, print and online.

ABOUT GETTING INSIDE ME PROJECT (GIME)

On 11 October, 2018, Getting Inside Me Projected collaborated with the Ministry of Women’s Affair, NAWOJ, Association Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (AASGBV) and CMD Foundation to Mark International Day of the Girl Child with 100 Girls of  Westend Secondary School,  Asaba.

The leadership goal of GIME was to mentor 100 Girls. I collaborated with Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Ministry of Women Affairs,  Association Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (AASGBV) and CMD Foundation to deliver a speech-workshop tagged Getting Inside Me Project on how students can use a Getting Inside Me Diary to reflect their career options, career plans, personal thoughts, goals, challenges and solutions to them to help them see patterns in their life early on so they can spot on time their natural capacities and career options open to them to pursue: International Day of Girls: https://medium.com/@ladyeumukoro/international-day-of-the-girl-2018-every-child-matters-7777a338a8d8

                                  

Following this event, with the help of different school administrators, counsellors, teachers, students, police and anti-cult unit in Delta State, I was able to carry out a successful undercover story on why there is a Rise of Secret-Cult-Gangs in Secondary Schools Among Female Students. This in turn informed the idea behind the Mentor-A-School Project I began concurrently as a Social Civic-Intelligence response in giving support to the community to curb this menace. Thereafter, the investigative story was published online, posted on all social media and YouTube including a two-day spread on Pointer Newspaper.

A follow-up advocacy awareness about this menace to amplify the story to a wider audience was done on Bridge Radio 98.7 FM to talk about the undercover investigation into the menace of secret-gang-cults in schools affecting both girls and boys, how they are recruited, code words/dress codes they use, tips to help parents recognised if their child has been approached or joined, and how children can come out of these cults with support from their school, parents, the judiciary and police. The thrust of the investigation shows that it takes a village to curb the menace.

During the undercover investigation, it was found that:

Teenage girls from 10-16 years are given 3 initiation options: to pay registration fee between N3,000 – N4,000; have sex with several boys (up to 10 or more in number); or be severely flogged (a euphemism for physical abuse and assault).

Sex, money and power was at the root of why girls were targeted aggressively.

Gang rape masked as initiation rites exposed girls to demeaning acts, drugs, alcohol, emotional and physical abuse.

Girls who tend to ‘fall for’ secret-gang-cults are those more prone to lying, cheating, stealing, curious about sex, have strong sex drive, or come from home where they have been toughed-up with constant emotional abuse, neglect, condemnation, physical beatings or lack parental attention, discipline and love.

Mentor-A-School Project (Getting Inside Me Project, GIME)

This project was created in response to the investigative story about secret-cult-gangs in two secondary schools in Delta. Interested school administrators are currently working out how to establish a media club in schools to keep students creatively engaged with a view to introducing them to new career pathways in media, writing, speaking and tech skills development.

Two selected schools in Delta were chosen for this purpose. A total of 228 students from Westend Mixed Secondary School and Ugbolu Secondary School in Delta State were mentored.

The focus was to achieve four key goals:

To promote anti secret-gang-cult awareness and the need to complete their education

To create deliberate awareness in boys about the synergistic value girls add in achieving a balanced society

To awaken students to their five capacities and how to tap into each for wealth creation, career choice and personal fulfilment

To inspire girls not to limit their career options or be carried away by negative peer influence

Introduce Girls to the Getting-Inside-Me-Diary Project for Self-Awareness and Mindfulness

STORY IMPACT:

On Monday 26th November at 9:21 a.m. following the publication of, and amplification of the story, Getting Inside Project (GIP) office received a call from a member of the Council of SPC explaining that one of the hideouts and area used for initiation by the cultists, the St. Patrick’s Church Asaba, began work on fixing broken walls and raising the perimeter fence securing the premises by two coaches to prevent access into the premises for such purposes.  Incidentally, I was informed that the premises was been used by armed robbers to hide away their guns used for operations, which they often go back to retrieve for future robberies. I was told that this story on secret-cult-gangs which I published gave them the jolt to take action.

On Monday November 3rd 2018, GIP went to verify this. The entire length of the perimeter fence has been raised by extra coaches and the holes in the fence have been closed up.

            

Following the report of the investigative report, many students became emboldened to quit cultism and gangsterism. In January 2019, One of the Principals’ whose students were victims explained to GIP in detail that a large number of the students (over 50) who were victims approached the school to renounce. The cult ‘leaders’ greatest concern was the drastic drop in weekly and monthly dues should they allow any reduction in the number of recruits. The more the members, the more money they make.

A follow-up impact assessment response was carried out to determine how schools, parents and affected victims of cultism and gangsterism are taking action since the story broke in October 2018 till date of this publication. It showed that over 30 students have since renounced their membership with many more students ready to come out. This is progress that must be sustained.

The story on Secret-Cult-Gangs Among Females in Secondary Schools in Delta was published in a 2-Part Series in Pointer Newspaper on Wednesday 24th October and Friday 26th October 2018 and on https://ladyechannel.blogspot.com/2018/10/secret-cult-gangs-disturbing-rise-of.html

News Agency of Nigeria also picked up the story and it was thereafter amplified by more than 25 online news outlets:

Radio Advocacy Awareness on female secret-gang-cults in secondary schools on Bridge Radio: https://youtu.be/JOi1qa9JNMg

Undercover investigation: Confessions of a Female Gang Member: https://youtu.be/l6-5VD3XdR8

Undercover report: How Secondary School Girls are recruited: https://youtu.be/R8Z9CTbqOow

Amplified Story: http://www.emerald.com/investigation-into-the-cult-world-how-secondary-schoolgirls-in-asaba-practice-high-level-cultism-during-school-hours-check-out-your-daughter-may-be-a-cultist/

GETTING INSIDE PROJECT (GIP) 

Media Career Development Training

To address the gap in career advancement among journalists in Delta State, GIP carried out workshop training with Female Journalists, Mass Communication Interns, Members of Nigeria Union of Journalists and Online Publishers.

Workshop, Panel Discussion and Lecture on Managing 'Fake News' in Traditional Media, Online and Social Media 

   GIP worked in collaboration with Delta Online Publishers Forum to run a lecture and workshop on digital skills for online publishers on. The training focused on the need to be intentional about how online and traditional media need to change their approach to covering and reporting

news.

It was equally important to heighten all aspects of self-check, professionalism and consequences of poor reportage during the panel discussion with stakeholders from across academia, civil societies, the judiciary, government and by journalists. Achieving this was at the heart of the call-to-action to all online publishers and reporters to improve our craft.

An online coverage of the panel discussion was produced based on the resolutions, suggestions and action steps to be taken by all stakeholders to tackle the menace of disinformation, malinformation, information disorders, rumours, and other false stories going forward and in preparation for 2019 elections.

The third goal of this collaboration was to be intentional about maintaining continuous advocacy on all media channels about the negative impact of fake news (a redundant term) by helping audiences differentiate between the different types of ‘fake news’: disinformation, malinformation, information disorders, rumours, weaponisation of information, conspiracy theories, false data, and false stories.

Online links: The Role of Media in 2019 election and Management of all forms of Fake News online and traditional media:

-          How Online Media Publishers can Prevent Proliferation of Disinformation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpcQTYDQ_HE

-          Role of Media in Collaborative Investigative Journalism:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxG9xW7YFE4

-          Impact of Social Media on Political Campaign and Nigeria 2019 Elections

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDxzLmyxCz0&t=29s

 Media Career Development for 

Mass Communication Interns

     A 2-Day Training Workshop and Mentoring Session with Mass Communication Interns at Pointer Newspaper on: Gender Reporting and Career Path Options in the Media Industry:

The training focused on:

1. Writing authentic content
2. Developing a strong sense for news anywhere
3. Gender reporting,
4. Building self-confidence,
5. Collaboration and
6. Career choice options in the media industry

Interns were introduced to the Getting Inside Me Diary to analyse their self-development goals and career path identification in the media industry.

During the training, data gathered showed that: 

• Out of the 25 attendees, only 3 were males
• More than two-thirds of the students were bored-stiff with print journalism
• Many said it was not a course of first choice
• Others complained of poor teaching styles, tools, and incentives to study
• Many did not think a story idea can come from them unless they were told what to cover
• Of the 25 who were given a story idea to report, only 3 had completed their stories for submission one week after assignments were given
• All of them were OND students. Many said they won’t follow-up the course at HND level.

Day 2: Media Career Plan – From Internship to Professional Practice.

In attendance were 21 interns: 7 males and 14 females. Of these number:

• 3 indicated they wanted to be bloggers and wanted to know how to achieve this
• 4 indicated they would like to be reporters
• 8 preferred to work on radio or TV stations as presenters or newscasters
• 5 were unsure which field to settle in
• One was an NYSC member who schooled in Ghana and was back to Nigeria for his NYSC
• Age range was 21 – 28 years

Workshop covered: different types of beats, storytelling, blogging, approaches to investigative journalism, intentional search for developmental stories, developing strong nose for news, improving gender reporting lens, balance reporting, self-development opportunities, skills development in writing, researching, interviewing, speaking, and amplifying stories to bring about impact.

POST TRAINING:

Students were more revved up to pursue journalism after the workshop.  Acting General Manager of Pointer Newspaper requested for a similar workshop on gender-balance in storytelling for upper management in 2019.

TESTIMONIALS:

Lovelyn Oseji (ND2): “After the training with Lady E, I was able to confidently write 3 stories. Something I was afraid I couldn’t do before. I wrote a story on Water Scarcity in Ogwashi-uku, edited a police press release on Cultists Killing Cultists and now I know how to analyse and report a charge sheet from court after I covered a criminal case of a man who stole from a woman who owned a filling station. The man turned out to be the woman’s friend.”

Kingdom Zorzor (NYSC Batch B1): “I am now a more confident speaker since the training and I speak more freely than I used to be. Unlike before when I used to keep to myself, after I was taught the importance of collaborating with my colleagues, I now do it easily.  I have also become more observant of people’s attitude too, and have also written more than 6 stories since the training. I intend writing a report about this training and have it published in Pointer.”

Ugah Juliet (ND2): “My confidence has seriously improved. I used to be very shy before but after the training I learnt how to communicate better and I have been using my GIME Personal Career Diary taught to us to use to write my career plan. I also wrote two feature stories after we were encouraged to think of more stories we find interesting to write. I wrote one on general entertainment and the other on food spice.”

Nwakpa Gloria (ND2): “The Getting Inside me Project about having a career plan by Lady E has helped me to see that for me to be a good journalist I must always do thorough research, associate more with my colleagues and learn to accept all kinds of beats and cover them. Now I know how cases in court are to be reported and the requirements and consequences of being a surety for someone as a guarantor.”

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     Training members of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and Nigeria Union of Journalists

On Friday 14th November 2018, special training for female reporters of NAWOJ on:

Media Entrepreneurship Opportunities for Female Reporters – A Career Plan. Journalist were introduced to the many areas of start-up journalism and use of innovation as an effective tool and means for impactful.

During the Question and Answer session, it was observed that reporting ‘activities’ of government’s social programmes was considered the equivalent of detailed journalistic report. In addition it was observed too that many beats were under-reported or not covered by journalists in Delta State. They include:

• Defence
• Oil and Gas
• Agriculture
• Business, etc.

GIME project in 2019 aims to collate all beats covered by journalists in Delta State to determine areas of over representation, under-representation, under-reporting including those beats left unassigned to address some of these needs. Another important module to be added to this training is data journalism, storytelling and fact checking. Many of the attendees were hearing of these terms for the first time. Added to this modules are workshop on Gender Reporting and Work Life Balance Effectiveness.

Future collaboration to bridge this gap will be done with WSCIJ, Africa Check, Media Career Services and Code for Africa to run these trainings.

TESTIMONIALS:

SHULAMITE OWHOEKEVBO (Ministry of Information): “I especially enjoyed the training, particularly in the area of how we tell and present our stories in such a way that people can impact on the lives of people and not just write a report just for the sake of writing one. As an information officer, I’ve learnt about writing balance report about women and children and not just men alone in the society.”

AUSTIN AZOR (NUJ): “It was a well-planned and well-delivered workshop by the trainer, Lady Ejiro Umukoro who deemed it fit to come train our female journalists on the need for media entrepreneurship. Many of us in the Nigeria media space have this thinking that we cannot diversify but the training has helped us to see how we can diversify our ideas and the money-making opportunities that exists in the profession.  There was a lot to learn in terms of report, content development and be known for what one does. This has been a great opportunity for me and I’m glad I didn’t miss it and will put my training into good use.”

Stella N. Macaulay (Directorate of Orientation): “A new vista has just been opened to me.”

EUNICE EMEYAZIA (Delta Broadcasting Service): “I have learnt how to raise the bar higher in my profession. As a journalist we’re responsible for educating members of the public. So if we don’t know the report or stories we cover well enough, how do we educate the people? If we’re misinformed, we equally misinform our audiences. I also leant about 5 Specific areas on how a female journalist can utilize beats to make some cash (lol)…”

RITA AKPOTU (Ministry of Information): “I learnt a lot about knowing other opportunities that exists for journalists to pursue their career.”

EFENURE OGENERO (The Urhobo Voice Newspaper): “Great value. But I need the resource person to mentor me so I can do well as a journalist.”

OBUNSELI PATIENCE: (NAPRO): “Equipping female journalists with tools to work to maximum capacity.”

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     GETTING INSIDE PROJECT: Civic Intelligence Keynote Lecture and Workshop

A Civic Intelligence Training Workshop targeted at Youth on spotting disinformation, youth thuggery, political violence, issues on voters rights and amplifying stories using Civic Intelligence Value Chain and Road map to do so through intentional critical thinking with members of Young African Leadership Network, YALI.

Friday 8th, December 2018. Members of Yali, NYSC, students, young professionals, youth out of job, and Electoral officers were beneficiaries of the training on: Civic Intelligence, The Missing Link to Nigeria’s Democratic Future. The training workshop was tied in with the formal launching of YALI NaijaVotes: Make It Count; a nationwide campaign based on 5 key areas:

a.            Boost voter participation

b.            Promote voting with integrity

c.             Encourage truth and accuracy in information-sharing

d.            Speak out against hate speech

e.            Inspire communities to reject violence

The training helped those in attendance understand what Civic Intelligence is, the roadmap, and value chain of Civic Intelligence. Using real life examples, participants using real life examples, Q&A, and peer interaction, participants got ownership of the term, inspiring them to become change agents. The significance of the power of information literacy in managing ‘fake news’ and abuse such as weaponisation of information, disinformation, helped participants identify the dangers of illiteracy and alliteracy and how it affects, promotes and limits electorates and citizens.

Practical session of the training empowered members to tap into their problem solving skills using context, data, demographic targets, etc., in solving social issues.

The goal of the workshop was to equip attendees with the mindset, skillset and brainstorming approach to be intentional and critical thinkers who deliberately provide solutions to many of the social problems in Nigeria that has to do with our collective thinking and psyche covering issues on rape of young children (Ochanya), domestic abuse, election violence, political thuggery, voters rights, respect for rule of law, the need to follow-up and aggressively amplify stories that otherwise would not have been heard, and proffering solutions to these using Civic Intelligence Value Chain and Roadmap while consistently measuring impact to ensure suggested approaches work: https://youtu.be/nWzLYMaHGOc.    

   

Over 50 youth ages 21-36 years, including adolescents (14-15 years) from across secondary schools,  members of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI), NYSC members, young professionals and electoral officers in Delta state and from other parts of Nigeria were in attendance.

Video coverage of the event was published on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nWzLYMaHGOc and www.emerald.ng titled: Civic Intelligence:  The Missing Link in Nigeria’s Socio-Political Success.

TESTIMONIALS:

EDITH ENEMUWE (Yali Member): “I am most thrilled by the fact that Civic Intelligence acts like a tap on one’s shoulder to get up and “DO” rather than just sit and be a passive observer. It is like taking a sneak peek into a vista of possibilities simply opening one’s mind and defining one’s roles in the society within the aspects of civic intelligence according to one’s capacities. The most interesting thing is that Civic Intelligence doesn’t require that one develop or grow an entirely new set of skills or capacities, rather it taps on the intelligence one is already gifted with and hones it for better use.”

ARINZE O. AUGUSTINE (Electoral Officer, INEC): “What struck me most on how Civic Intelligence works is the fact that it is a result-solution oriented principle that caught me.”

Obimma Uchechukwu (Corp Member): “Your delivery on Civic Intelligence is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I wish to invite you to speak in some of the events I organise in schools.”

Austin Okorodudu (Yali Coordinator, Delta):  “Today was not just fulfilling, it was, to say the least, awesome!”

Nigeria 2019 Elections - The True Face of Electioneering

FRIDAY February 22

It is 7:28 p.m. and dark outside in a quiet village in Delta Central. A tall young man no more than 25 years walks into a group of youth standing not too far from the bright light emanating from the window of a building two feet from where they stood. The group is familiar with each other, sharing pleasantries, their main discussion about the presidential election less than 48 hours away.

The focus now shifts to the young man who walked in minutes ago. His name is Friday. When asked by a member of the group what he thinks about the election, he declares with a sly grin: "We are ready. We know the party wey go win!" He turns and looks at his audience who watch him enraptured. "I get 4 PVCs!" Friday declares, explaining that he had gotten the PVCs since 2015 as a member of the Umbrella party. 

He said he registered all four PVCs at four different communities in the Delta Central area. Going by his ancestral village, he is from Unit 3 of the Polling Centre but plans to go to three more centres within a 5 kilometre stretch to vote. He goes on to explain how he uses petrol to wipe off the ink stain on his finger used to vote in each polling unit, explaining that as a security agent approved by the senior Party Agent in charge of the units, all he needed to do was notify his gang of 5 per polling unit informing them he was leaving. They have a code, a signal for this particular mission. That is his cue to move with speed as soon as he's done voting. Thereafter he navigates his way to the next polling units. 

Asked how he could have quick access to voting on time in all three polling centres, he replies: "Na we-we dey there. We know how we dey run am." He gets paid N10,000 for this particular job. He has already been advanced N5000 and would get the balance after the election.

Earlier in the day word got out that prisoners have been released unexpectedly from prison without due legal process. Many in the community speak in concerned whispers about the appearance of a notorious prisoner known for armed robbery and thuggery. Someone in the group said: "Na to waste their lives in ballot snatching and thuggery that is why dem release them from prison nau." When someone asked Friday if he was aware of this, he says he's aware of the prisoner’s release explaining that the prisoners belong to the party with the broom logo who have been freed without official procedures with the singular goal to rig the elections in any manner possible.

Someone threw a direct question to Friday, asking if his umbrella party also have such prisoners released to carry out similar rigging. Friday nods his head ever so slightly in the affirmative in a manner that betrayed impulsive body language over quick-thinking response as his eyes widen in muted excitement at the same time. He turned his head away momentarily then turns back to reply: "I cannot answer that." 

When asked again, he repeated the same sentence, "I cannot answer that." A moment later he leaves and waves goodbye to the others who wished him well. Many in the group expressed deep concern about Friday’s safety, some saying he's not a smart young man and may not survive past the election should he be caught. Despite the order of the President that any caught in the act of ballot snatching will be gunned down, the devil-may-care attitude of youth in the Delta Central emboldens them to do the unthinkable.

SATURDAY March 23

The time is 5:30 a.m. I rush into the waiting car taking me to the designated polling unit. There’s a 6-6 curfew of no movement. The polling centre is far and I didn’t bring along my jogging shoes not to mention I had no idea how to get to the polling unit on my own.

We drove down the dark streets into partially lite streets leading to the polling centre. Within 10 minutes we arrived at the town hall where the election would take place. The building is locked. I take a stroll to another open centre and sat back waiting till the scheduled time for voting at 8:00 a.m. 

The community is quiet, many still asleep. A few persons can be seen fetching water from a pump. Some other early-rising voters join me too. They were keen on not being denied their rights to vote. The no-movement curfew was not going to be an excuse.

At 7:25 a.m. I head out to the town hall hoping I can be amongst the first on the queue, believing voting would start on time. As I walk through the street the stench of weed suffocates the air. It is 34 degrees hot. The burning heat from 5 gas-flaring nozzles radiates into the atmosphere adding to the scotching bite. The thick, irritating humidity makes the skin crawl with sticky sweat.

The sound of thumping Nigerian pop music pumps a continuous rhythm of gyrating sounds, mixing with the gay excited air of citizens out and about to vote – determined to vote. Today they decide who becomes the president of Nigeria and who would occupy the senatorial seats at the national assembly.

Ironically, you can smell and taste the deep stench of poverty, see the grains of sad echoes of unfulfilled dreams and feel pains of muffled outcry on the faces, homes and lives of people living in his community. The main road is tarred but modern facilities are not a common sight. Mud houses litter the community with some cement houses. The common building architecture are bungalows with one or two storey buildings scattered throughout the villages.

A dog sleeps on the white sandy ground like it has no care in the world, its eyes shut to the goings on around it. And even after much teasing by children and an adult to make it change its position, it refused to get up – a metaphor of voters' apathy seeping through the psyche and attitude of many who still feel their votes won’t count.

I move through a number of communities in the Delta Central and can't fail to observe the large number of young men dressed in singlets and boxers or jeans, some with sagging boxers or jeans bare-chested, drinking, smoking and generally lazing around. Many I’m told are thugs and their job is to 'snatch ballot boxes' should they think the election has been compromised in any way as they perceived. 

The two major parties, the broom and the umbrella hold sway amongst the many rearing to vote. No other party out of the 91 registered parties approved by INEC had any show of presence in this particular area. In some other parts of Delta Central. Delta South and Delta North there were up to 5 parties with voters ready to contest key elected positions.

At 8:00 a.m. the polling centre where I’m supposed to vote isn’t opened. 

At 9:03 a.m. when I passed by again, voting materials have not yet arrived.

By 9:55 a.m. an important political stalwart receives a call: "The bus have not arrived yet?" he queries the voice on the other side of the phone. He walks away from the small crowd trying to gather near him to eavesdrop. Later he walks back to his anxious waiting team and says to no one in particular: “I cannot understand why money already set aside for a job to be done isn't carried out.”, his face in a disturbed grimace. He whips his phone from the pocket of his African print trouser and makes another call. All is settled. 

Voters sit in scattered numbers around the polling unit, many of the senior citizens dressed in their traditional outfit with shoes and caps to match. A number of the youth who came out too were well kitted to the nines like it was Christmas. It was a bold statement that seems to proclaim: voting is serious business. Dress well to vote.

Three days prior however, the incumbent government announced that electorates who were indigenes of the state based in Abuja and Lagos will be provided buses at designated terminals to convey them down to Delta State to participate in the election no matter the party they intended to vote for.  Few resident indigenes I spoke with in the community said they saw 2 buses from which many voters alighted from, others said they saw 5 buses. The question on the lips of many was: this action by the government to convey voters for free from these locations, is it lobbying or vote buying? Many agreed it was lobbying since those ferried were not forced to do so in lieu of voting. Yet the big elephant in the room still hung: won’t this influence these voters to change their minds?

Someone in the audience with an angry scowl complained bitterly that teachers too had been compromised with bribes from the education secretary whose appointment required he delivers votes for the governor, else he will not return as a political appointee. The sum of N1.5 million was given to the executives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers after they had mobilised their members for a townhall meeting with the education secretary. While the excos shared N800,000, the balance of N700,000 was shared amongst its members, each taking away the sum of N1,500 only. Teachers who were not present at the forum were not given. They were considered 'traitors' or 'non compliant'. This caused some ill feelings. Two other persons in the group confirmed that the story was true, saying they had friends and family members who benefited from the largess.

At 10:15 a.m., a messenger runs to the political stalwart to announce that the bus conveying voting materials have arrived, but not at the central polling area where it was designated to be, but rather at a sub polling unit 4 kilometres away. "But they know we have more enemies that way nau!" a senior party agent whined, vexed. Another said, “But that is not the approved polling centre! Why take it there?” Quickly, they summon an emergency meeting to work out how to retrieve the INEC materials then dispersed secretly.

By 11:24 a.m. the voting materials was yet to arrive. Old men and women, including persons with disability fall asleep under the hot sun, barely protected by the shadows of the roofs of buildings. Many of the youth move about, their faces scrunched up. They are restive and eager to get done with the election.

A group of 15 men, ages 40-78 years gather together to play traditional drink-pouring and libation, welcoming one another as is the custom. Monies are placed on plates with kolanuts and drinks. Traditional poetry rules and the best orator holds the audience in his spell, mesmerizing them with ancestral idioms, proverbs and wise sayings. The senior citizens love this form of play and camaraderie, especially since it was such a rear treat to have so many wealthier and more sophisticated cosmopolitan visitors living outside the village come around for the voting exercise.

A sudden rush amongst the crowd announced the arrival of INEC Materials at 12:11 p.m. followed by a stampede of persons fighting to be the first in line to vote, many refusing to queue but keen on getting inside the hall rather than stand outside on a proper queue. 

A prominent party stalwart keen on delivering his constituency in the keenly contested elections calls on all to stay calm and form a queue. INEC officials and ad-hoc staff make strong pleas that seemed to fall on deaf ears. After much back and forth quarrels and tongue lashings, three queues were formed which later became two lines for 2 units.

Later, we get to learn that the reason for the late arrival of the materials was because the election materials had been seized by the opposition party with the broom logo. It took long negotiations, palm greasing and lengthy diplomacy of the party stalwart of the current party with the umbrella logo to finally get the gang who hijacked the materials to finally let go.

Just before I voted at 14:45 p.m., an elderly man struggling to walk with his walking stick caused a stir amongst the party agents inside the polling centre when he voted for the opposition in full glare of many. Because he couldn’t read and see clearly, one of the INEC officials assisted him with the process, asking him which party he preferred, and then guided him to thumb print on the preferred logo. There was no cubicle at this centre so everyone saw the elderly man’s party choice. 

A party leader who saw this happening exclaimed: “But how can he vote APC! Doesn’t he know this is a PDP community?” More grumblings from others watching the scene escaped people’s mouth. The larger number angry at the elderly man but a few more persons were concerned that the secrecy that goes with voting was violated and would prefer no one saw which party they voted for. After a while, a quiet calm set in after the old man was escorted away. By this time though, about one third of the voters on queue had already voted. Voting continued well past 5:00 p.m. considering it started more than four hours behind schedule.

Finally, everyone returns home to await the official announcement of the results from INEC even though many party agents, members and staunch supporters of the current party have high hopes their party will trump the opposition in these units.

And that was exactly what happened. At 8:30 p.m. news filtered that the party with the umbrella logo had the highest votes in these particular units.

But what would be the overall presidential and national assembly results from this community after the results from all the wards are collated? Which party will clinch it?

SUNDAY February 24

It’s 19:38 a.m. A bike with two men on it zoom past the street bumping with speed chanting a song, their voice loud: "Omo-Agege is a go!"

Five minutes later two more bikes speed past, the bikers shouting: "APC! Progress!" right behind them were children chanting in local dialect: “APC 5 over 10." "E gha na, e yen yen!" the literal translation means: You who vote, just keep pressing the brown!  "APC! Change Okowa!"

The partially lite street is now crowded with a moving jubilant crowd of youngsters from age 8 years and above in the midst of mostly older youth between 19-28 years old alongside more matured older men and few ladies, all shouting, chanting, singing with lots of exaggerated hailings, their joy palpable.

The community has gotten their desire. Their votes counted. President Muhammadu Buhari is returned as President of Nigeria, so is Omo-Agege returned to the 9th assembly as senator.

But is that choice the overall reflection in other wards and communities across Nigeria?

After almost 72 hours wait, INEC officially announces President Muhammadu Buhari winner of the presidential race while Atiku Abubakar emerged second with a 3.5million votes difference.

Gubernatorial Election

SATURDAY March 9th 

Driving through the community, an uncomfortable deadly quietness hung over the air as though people had deserted the place. It is 7:25 a.m. but the community seems to be fast asleep. The usual boisterousness that prevailed during the presidential election was absent. Not one single adult could be seen on the street. A few number of children pop their heads out from mud windows to see who the visitor in the car passing through their street was. They turn their face away, uninterested. The sound of voices from televisions filter into the quiet air, holding the gazes of the children spell bound to the screens.

In front of the town hall marked as the polling centre are three canopies. These were not there the last time the presidential elections held.

Soon the reason for the unusual calm and quietness in the community was uncovered. The week before, a strategic meeting with members of the community held. All youth, adults and adult groups were met and given gifts of monies. An average of N3k was given to male elders with an additional N10k was given at an earlier general meeting with all the male leaders and key male figures in the community and a token of N5k was given to each woman in the community. It was covert lobbying. A pre-emptive and strategic measure taken to prevent overt vote buying on election day. Electioneering has gotten more sophisticated, the money trail now more expansive.

I was already seated near the town hall under one of the canopies with about twenty other persons who had come from Warri to vote in their village. I repeatedly check my wristwatch, anxious to get done with the voting, hoping INEC officials will do better with timing this time. It was all wishful thinking.

At 8:55 a.m. the adults begin to stroll lazily out of shacks, mud, and cement houses leisurely taking up seats arranged under the canopies. Three large canopies were set up for voters to sit and wait their turns until the polling centre opens and voting commence. Many elders, majority of them dubbed 'Justices of Peace', have their special canopy. Older and middle aged women sit under this same canopy with the men. Another canopy with more nursing mothers and children, by default, occupied the last canopy.

At 10:40 a.m. election materials arrives.

By 11:07 a.m. voters were asked to cue in two separate lines.

Three patrol cars manned by 10 police officers and 2 military men in military outfits patrol the units. Different patrol vans move in and out, patrolling the entire breathe of the community in rotation. Seven women make up these mix team of police and army. They have a quick security meeting then zoom off in two patrol vehicles to create an air of seriousness.

Young party agents walk with bounce in their steps busy with activities expected of them to discharge. Some proudly don their tags around their necks, while others preferred to hold their tags in their hands moving about, sending coded signals to each other, whispering at other times and in one gusto move as a team to specific areas in and around the polling units. There does not seem to be any 'opposition' tension in the air. They have all 'reconciled' their differences.

There are two types of agents: the ones with tags and the ones without. The ones with tags are better dressed and slightly composed. The other set, dressed like street thugs in new clothes were more boisterous and aggressive.

It's 13:03 p.m. The sudden tasty smell of jollof rice swirling in the air set the olfactory lobe into overdrive causing a frenzy, scattering the queue. Many of the voters on queue made a run toward the smell of cooked meal. Instant quarrel amongst voters bursts forth. Shouts of “It’s my own,” "Where my own", "Give me too naa", "Why you no wan give me my share" rent the air, heightening the tensed excitement, many more no longer keen on staying on the queue to vote. Their priorities changed.

At 13:19 p.m., the sun bursts through the sky in one yellow flame of heat, shattering the cooler atmosphere long enjoyed for 6 hours amidst the struggle for packaged jollof rice.

At 13:25 p.m. a drunk voter jumps into a crowd of sitting voters waiting their turn to be served jollof rice, disrupting the merry calm. He charges in, picks up a white plastic chair and tries to haul it at another voter but was stopped in his tracks by three men. He shouts unintelligently, his words a slur. For another 3 mins they try to wrestle the chair from his hand while trying to stop him from attacking those who held on to his arms as he tried to kick and punch anyone within his reach. Then unexpectedly he wrestles himself free from their grasp rushing out the same way he rushed in.

By 14:44 p.m. about 95% of voters have exercised their franchise. Yet, the voter turnout compared to that of the presidential and senatorial election was low. Whispers of dirty, gun-shooting, fiery election seeped through many communities, frightening many from turning up. Surprisingly, it was a very calm and peaceful election. Many who later learnt how peaceful it had gone so far regretted not showing up.

But by 16:51 p.m. the story changed just as the weather began to gather dark clouds. A gun shot was heard. Panic and fear rented the air as many, especially the elderly began to run for their homes or seek protection in other people’s homes. News filtered that another polling unit, about 4 kilometres away, someone had tried to snatch a ballot box but was quickly gunned down by a vigilant police officer.

At this point the polling unit was barricaded off to allow a smooth collation of the results. Some said this was usually about the time ballot box snatching was done. It was time to go home. I drove off glad to have fulfilled my civic duties.

Almost forty hours later around noon on March 11th, the official announcement was made. The Umbrella won. The incumbent Governor emerged winner of the gubernatorial election. His winning was met with jubilation in Delta North and Delta South while it was a mix reaction in some parts of Delta Central.