I have had a similar idea for sometime too. However, my version differs from yours in the sense that the cameras would be hidden ones. The cameramen at a polling station would just be risking his life (take Ekiti re-run elections as an example). Each agent of a political party should have their own covert camera to film proceedings at the polling station.

nigerian cameramen are not corruptible?

and how many punches will it take an area boy to knock a cameraman off his stride?

once we figure these questions out, then you'll see that the problem is people, us, nigerians! Not equipment.

Knowall, I think you have been in the UK too long. The cameraman might be killed, if he does not get killed it would be virtually impossible to prove who sent the thugs to the polling station in a court of law.

No, the idea of official camera men is not a worthwhile venture as it will likely put the lives of innocent peoples in danger. As an alternative, the camera can be mounted at strategic locations at the polling stations and recording sent to a remote location for monitoring and storage. If the recording is tampered with by acts of brigandage or thuggery by vested interests, the result from that polling station should not count. The downside to this is that unscrupulous politicians will deliberately tamper with the camera/recording or set fire to the storage/backup location if they knew they will not do well in a particular polling station. I think the best approach is to make the INEC trully dependent, go back to Option A4 and we are on the road to a free and fair election. But in an election regime that is characterised by a winner-takes-all politicking and do-or-die mentality, our selfish politicians are really not genuinely invested in a credible election, because of the fear of losing to the best candidate and party.

Didn't the President promise state governors a second term ticket? you didn't actually assume he meant to buy those at an Argos store, did you

KnowAll:

[b]I am not holding court for the Presidency here, by promising the Governors a second- term TICKET is more or less guranteeing them PDP tickets. He cannot promise them a win in the General Elections. The General elections is a different cup of tea, even OBJ the chief propenent of "do or die" poltics could not salvage Bauchi and Kano State in the last dispensation.

Where the President has a leverage are constitenecy where there is no clear cut party in charge of the state. WHERE the electorates are divided like in Delta State. Let us see Mr President give Lagos State to PDP.[/b]

violent:

When you have a kid and a wife at home, or an exciting future to look forward to, i doubt you'd want to be the camera man in the orange suit when the thugs come calling!----I wouldn't want to be one!

As long as people keep getting away with stealing ballot boxes, there's absolutely nothing you can do to mitigate against it!

I also deduced from your post that you assumed that the government will be interested in a free and fair election. . . if this was your assumption, then you are far from being ignorant!

Didn't the President promise state governors a second term ticket? you didn't actually assume he meant to buy those at an Argos store, did you?


Alternatively, if the camera appeared to be the only solution, organizations such as Save Nigeria Group could get their members at each polling booths to put on spy pens such the one in the picture below, however, i still fail to understand how this will STOP militants/thugs from carting away people's vote

KnowAll:


I don't think anyone would go all out to attack an official designate camera man, how many officials till date have died in the call of duty, how many police men where killed in the last election or Youth Corpers, or INEC Staff. When u give people some semblance of power and authority no matter how miniscule,  YOU can be rest assured the public including the thugs would hold them in high esteem.

I would suggest they have some kind of Uniform that would make them stand-out, see Lagos State's Lastmen how many have died in the call of duty in the last year despite having runnings with thugs on a daily basis.

Madam Kobo:

Would you allow any of your relatives to be cameraman on election day.?

Why do you like talking from your fat arse like this?

KnowAll:

The election that took place last week dampened my enthusaism in no small way it actually killed any hope I have for the next general elections. By  all indications the election was the same usual sham we are use to,  Jonathan has not added any value to that dying and decaying institution called INEC neither has that Professor from Kano.

They can both go to blazes for all I care. If with 23,000 extra police force enlisted from neigbouring state we can't get it right how are we suppose to get it right when each of those extra froce would be minding their own states in the General elections OR is the FG hoping to recruit 23,000 X 35  = 805,000 POLICE OFFICERS FOR THE elections. To say we have hope is to be over ambitious and delusional if not both. 

We cannot continue to allow such wanton fraud devoid of any decorum of decency to continue unabated, some of the candidates running for offices at times have borrowed and mortgaged themselves to the hilt only for the goverment and the authorities in charge to scupper and destroy not only their hopes and desires but those of the adjoining communities they represents.

What we are pratising at the moment is democrazy  in its true and unbridle sense, I doubt Fela of famed "Democrazy" "Crazy Demo" ever witness this brazen unadultrated snatching of ballot boxes in broad day light in the full view at times of rolling cameras, the detractors of these shameless act,  many at times are so comsumed in their dastardly act to pay much attention to happenings around them,  therby making them look like a rabbit caught by the head-light of a car when the case gets to the tribunal.

The sad thing is both the high and mighty of our society are engaged in this kind of thuggery, one would have expected our over paid Senators and Reps men to be snubbish to this kind of behaiviour but Not in Nigeria, the baggars would rather go to any lenght even murder to get re-elected again and again knowing there are no term restrictions on House Men unlike Governors and the Presidency.

It is after sitting down for a while and reflecting on what went wrong in that election and how can we improve on it. It is then it dawn on me that we can have official Camera men and video men in every polling station in the country. The Cameras and video equipment would belong to individuals(that is these guys would work as freelance)  all the goverment we do is pay them a nominal fee for their time and buy the recorded Pictures and videos at a negotaible  price if the goverment is intrested in a case(obiously the Govt should bear in mind the individual's intellectual rights to the Pictures and Videos) but if the case were to go to court or a tribunal then the Video man and Camera man would be paid a higher and more lucrative  fee for each appearance in court. The whole essence of paying them when there are disputes is to make sure all atrocities are covered by the camera men. I think this might be the way forward.


Certain things that would happen if this in place.

1[b]. The official Camera man would act as a deterant therby making trouble makers stay away or behave themselves.

2. We would have a fairer results.

3. It would create employment for thosands of Nigerians who would be engage doing these job albeit a seasonal job.

4. I thought of putting CCTV in every polling station in the country but that is captal intensive and secondly we have no light(power)

5. I think this idea if INEC has any modicum of truth should among other things recommend it to the FG.

6. Innovation is the mother of invention.- The reason why the west and most developed country are advance is they profess solution to a problem. Nigerians should start to think along those lines too.
 
7. If the case goes to court the camera men would be paid a lucrative negotiable amount for each evidence supplied to the judiciary.
[/b]
8. The FG goverment does not compulsory have to buy the pictures or videios if there are no dispute in an area but the owners of the pictures(camera men) would be expected to keep it for a period of 9 months in which after they can destroy it.

BY Goverment buying the Pictures and video I mean the - Courts and Tribunals, it is only when they have possession of such damning evidence can a judge adjudicate without prejudice. So in this context the Goverment means the Courts.


What do you think of this Idea NL,

Electronic Voting is the way to go. I support the use of cameras too as part of the electronic device. It can be achieved and its as simple as cancelling the results in any booth where the camera is damaged or it films irregularities.

maclatunji:

Knowall never see political thugs-in-action. Once he witnesses it, he will run back to UK and NEVER dare to even post ideas about it on Nairaland. There are many people that have been killed and maimed in our political process.

Hatitude:

[size=14pt]You most certainly need cameras and video evidence if the current spate of electoral malpractices is to be annihilated.

My view is nigerians in all nooks and crannies of the country should be encouraged to gather video and picture evidence then send or text them to a number or via skype, blackberry instant message, twitter etc. Enterpreneurs with a good supply of cash or investors should set up a dedicated line, skype ID, BB pin no etc and let people know that their phones would be credited with probably N100 for pictures sent, N300 for videos or any other appropriate price. Let them know that they should turn on the date function of their phones and relevant inscription that would be of value to truly achieving a free and fair election. I personally would also be happy to run with this idea as I think there's money to be made.

On a more serious note, these politicians want nothing more than to maintain status quo and so are not prepared to give nigerians a free and fair election. We need to strategise if we are to realise this.[/size]

My view is nigerians in all nooks and crannies of the country should be encouraged to gather video and picture evidence then send or text them to a number or via skype, blackberry instant message, twitter etc. Enterpreneurs with a good supply of cash or investors should set up a dedicated line, skype ID, BB pin no etc and let people know that their phones would be credited with probably N100 for pictures sent, N300 for videos or any other appropriate price. Let them know that they should turn on the date function of their phones and relevant inscription that would be of value to truly achieving a free and fair election. I personally would also be happy to run with this idea as I think there's money to be made.

On a more serious note, these politicians want nothing more than to maintain status quo and so are not prepared to give nigerians a free and fair election. We need to strategise if we are to realise this.

I thank God for your brain, Brilliant idea. These are the things we should be doing here and not all that unnecessary arguing that many people do. (You see, it only took 1 post  me to know this guy is brilliant, some people just post rubbish to sound intelligent when they obviou