National Telescope national telescope newspaper
An online news website had published a news item that positioned Delta State University (DELSU) as the first tertiary institution in Nigeria to conduct Student Union Government (SUG) online based election thereby demonstrating abrogation to nomothetic.
The report came on the heels of the claim by Delta State University (DELSU) Abraka, that it is the first to ever conduct Student Union Government online elections in Nigeria. This is not true and it is proper to correct the claim.
To set the records straight, University of Ilorin was the first to conduct an internet based SUG elections in Nigeria. A friend, Ikenna Hakam Ogundu who had his NYSC experience in the University explained to me that students voted at different locations irrespective of distance, provided they were eligible and had access to the School’s portal.
However, this is similar to what transpired at Rivers State University in 2016 where internet voting continued for the second time in a tertiary institution in Nigeria. Zeb-Obipi (2018), in his seminal paper on e-voting in Universities, asserts that Rivers State University Nkpolu-Oroworokwo, Port Harcourt resorted to an internet-based electronic voting (e-voting) process since 2016 and has been able to sustain it back-to-back without any much crisis anytime.
The author who has been serving as Dean of Student Affairs of the University since November 2015, further stated that sister institutions are already liaising with the University to make the e-voting trend workable at their ends. The author further describes e-voting as an electoral system in which voters elect their preferred candidates for respective offices using an electronic medium such as computer networks, the internet, and instant messaging with various levels of convenience, speed, and transparency.
In its computer network form, according to Zeb-Obipi (2018), voters go to a designated center fitted with some networked computers to cast their votes and the network collates the votes to provide results at the end of the voting period. On the other hand, in its internet form, Zeb-Obipi (2018) informs that voters anywhere in the world that have access to the internet and is eligible can cast their votes through a given URL and these votes are collated in real time to give the eventual results of the election.
The most advanced stage, however, is an instant messaging format where voters are able to cast their votes through text messages (SMS) like what the Big Brother Nigeria does for the public to vote for their preferred housemates. To the best of my knowledge as at today, no University in Nigeria is yet to attain this height; hopefully, soon. As a matter of fact, University of Calabar, Cross River State, as well as Ignatious Ajuru University of Education, Rivers State, are notably ahead of DELSU in terms of SUG online elections. In the light of the foregoing, one cannot help but wonder where indeed should DELSU be ranked in terms of SUG online elections? First, second, or third place? There can be no better description of this claim other than white coated rational propaganda! It may have been couched out of hasty generalizations.
It is misleading, misinforming and misinterpreting of the academic and media industry of Nigeria. Let it be known that Rivers State University is the second tertiary institution in Nigeria to go full scale on internet-based SUG elections in Nigeria with real-time results streaming-in intermittently and declaration of results made on the same day, after the University of Ilorin that had started the process in 2014.
Moreso, Rivers State University in its zest for excellence and creativity is the first tertiary institution in Nigeria to host live radio debate for SUG election aspirants. The debate session which started in 2015, is such that aspirants get to express their uniqueness to students who listen randomly and later call in to question policies, , and ideologies. The program airs on the University’s radio station, Excel 103.7FM. Boma Waribor is a Post-Graduate Student of the Rivers State University and writes from Port Harcourt.
(Vanguard)
