How Election Rigging Can End In Nigeria – Wole Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka yesterday said tackling corruption would address electoral rigging that has dented Nigeria’s democratic system.

Soyinka spoke at the 60th birthday colloquium of the Executive Editor, The News/PM News, Mr. Kunle Ajibade entitled: “A Brighter Future for Nigeria and how to get there.”

Prof. Soyinka said: “If we can solve issues of corruption, we will also be addressing cases of election rigging. This is because there is a direct nexus between that level of corruption and the degradation of democratic process that we have witnessed in the country.

“If we had solved the cases properly, it would have helped curb corruption and solve the issue of democratic failure in Nigeria.”

While speaking on his thinking before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, prosecuted former Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, Soyinka hinted that he believed top echelon in the force were untouchable.

He said: “Among those that I believe were untouchable before was the police but not those that were on the streets harassing and collecting money from people. I know that of all government institutions, the police were often involved in profiling corrupt persons.

But the question that later baffled me was who then corrupted the police? Who made sure that the agencies enforcing the law were corrupt?

“And that was why when I met former EFCC chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu after former IGP, Tafa Balogun was arrested, I emphasised that the job of fighting corruption doesn’t end with the person holding the money but also how he got the money or how the money got into his bank account.”