I am more concerned on the Diasporan vote. Let's get the solution(s) trickling in and then we can present a solution to GEJ on FB.
CountdowNigeria@50-50 Jonathan: Books and CDs for the few? Nigeria@50 Arts Ambassadors; Falconets; INEC and Diaspora voting
THANKS to The Nation’s Art Editor and all who thought beyond my picture ‘Suffering Soles’ on August 4. ‘CongratsObama@49’ though he is too young to hold some political, ‘age-grade’, posts in Nigeria. How many ‘congrats’ adverts in America? Nigerians, learn this and text/e-mail governors, wives or child ‘clocking’ something!

A country of 100 million plus making 20,000 copies of a Compendium on Nigeria@50 Book and only 5,000 CDs is rather modest. After paying generously the creators with N20 million extra for ‘copyright’ on top of their bill, Nigeria can reprint CDs for less than N100 each. Copies need to be sent by the Presidency to 70,000 schools and 1,000 tertiary institutions and 100 copies to each Mission abroad as ‘promos/presents’. Citizens Nigeria, empower FEC to make 500,000 to 1,000,000+ CD copies@N1-200 each. It is our birthday; we are Nigeria@50, deserving this. It is better than fireworks. The CD must be shown repeatedly nationwide by all TV stations if we have power.

Citizens Nigeria, Nigeria is you, you are Nigeria! What is your Nigeria@50 project in your family, school, work, community to beautify Nigeria or for an orphanage, the hungry and needy?

For government’s information, the neglected Nigerian artist is the most readily available, export, refined finished product for Nigeria@50, better than oil. Jonathan should make 100 Nigerian artists, writers and poets Nigeria@50 ‘Arts Ambassadors’ for our embassies worldwide for Nigeria@50 Anniversary activities. Why should foreigners like British, French, German and Americans kindly have to send our artists abroad?

Hurray, the Fabulous Falconets are back. But remember their suffering! We, Citizens Nigeria, empower FEC to release money for youth sport and not only ‘emergency’ banquets. Many athletes lack ‘chicken money’ to eat well to perform better! The Falconets celebration, food for administrators and government, should not cost more than ‘Special Falconets Footballs’ with pictures and signatures, for 70,000 schools. Youth, get kicking and reading, the library books are nearly here, Amen. Government, and the private sector, Glo, MTN, Etisalat, Coca Cola, Omo, Dangote, Diamond, GTB, Fidelity etc must work to avoid being re-branded ‘Superbrands that hate youth development’.

In ‘Honour of the Falconets’ corporate Nigeria and government must ‘DO SOMETHING GOOD’ like Jimoh Ibrahim has done to celebrate competence and female role models! Wives, female directors and shareholders should get companies to ‘do something’. Instead of ‘100 Instant Millionaires’, can our private sector spend millions on Falconets TV and Radio Programmes and Football Nets, Falconets Sports Academies and Footballs and Sports Halls and Sports Kits, Falconets Coaching Week and Hall of Fame in National and State Museums, Falconet Cards and Posters and Comic Book, The Falconets Story and ‘True Story’ Film, Falconets Almanac and Clothing with Names -a new Nollywood fashion? Falconet Rap and poem. Up Falconets Footballs and Falconet Sports Kits for 70,000 schools!! Only ‘Repeated Publicity’ will make Falconets and other heroes part of our positive history. Nice noise makes nations proud.

It is a pity that Professor Jega of INEC is portrayed as rejecting ‘Diaspora voting’, rather than challenging Diasporans to demonstrate its feasibility. There are some five million qualified Nigerians abroad mostly economic and political refugees fleeing The Buhari-Babangida-Abacha Dark-BAD-Ages. Some ask ‘Who will they vote for?’ and ‘Should they be ‘allowed’ to vote?’ rather than ‘Can they physically or electronically vote?’

Diaspora voting is not nuclear physics. Many countries, like France, have Diaspora voting, compulsorily. Ask them how. Diasporan Nigerians contribute millions to Nigeria, want to participate, are concentrated in IT high tech nations and are identifiable electronically in professional or country databases. It is easy to recruit, process, record, authenticate and arrange a Diaspora register by country as a demonstration of INEC good faith and competence. Nigeria is at a crossroads of ‘brain vs. brawn’ and the ‘New Improved INEC’ can proudly say ‘Yes We Can’ and initiate Diaspora voting by considering:

• Appoint INEC COMMISSIONER[S] FOR THE DIASPORA BY CONTINENT

• Appoint an INEC COUNTRY REPRESENTATIVE in every country world wide from a list of five per country recommended by standard criteria of honesty, good job, recognition in community and neutrality.

• Prepare a Country based COMPUTERISED DATABASE OF ALL 18+years old DIASPORA RESIDENTS by e-mail, photoID, and other authentication eg Professional body, work reports etc.

• Prepare a DIASPORA VOTER’S CARD SYSTEM. Diaspora Voters Cards, DVC, Number D0000001- D5,000,000 with D meaning Diaspora. The international standard letters and the country’s flag maybe, may signify the country of residence eg D-UK or D-USA or D-GER, or D-CHI for Diasporan in UK, USA, Germany and China.

• Allocate Numbers on estimates eg 0000001- 2000000 for UK, 2000001-3500000 for USA, 3500001-4000000 to Germany.

• The citizens will register by post, presence or group bodies with photo and biometrics.

• Election will be by voting through e-mail, password, mail, postal ballot, or local INEC Agents with representation of political parties, civil society and observers.

• Counting will be supervised and in public, using IT, and transmitted publicly to INEC Nigeria for collation.

• On return to Nigeria such Diaspora Voters Cards, DVCs will be exchangeable with local voter’s cards.

• Voting can be one week before Nigeria’s election dates.

Diasporan IT wiz kids should kick-start the database for a parallel ‘Test Case Diaspora 2011 Election’ to prove it is possible, if INEC finds it ‘impossible’ to ‘enfranchise’ Nigerian Diasporans. ‘Yes We Must’. Who is afraid of the Diaspora vote?

Nothing good is impossible for Citizens Nigeria, home and Diasporan, as we CountdowNigeria@50-50.
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