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| Encouraging good governance
and transparency Nigeria is the dominant power in the West Africa region – and therefore strategically vital for long-term peace and security in the region. Its conflicts stem from longstanding religious and ethnic tensions (used by various governments as a strategy for political mobilisation) as well as the inequitable distribution of revenues from natural resources and regional disparity of wealth. The democratic election of President Obasanjo in 1999 ended almost 29 years of military rule but – paradoxically - has brought increased conflict as long-held grievances, previously suppressed by military regimes, have erupted into violence. One of the important elements of good governance (along with accountability, rule of law, the justice system) is elections. But in many countries electoral processes are a threat and/or a challenge. Incumbent governments may use all available means to rig elections and remain in office. Such elections breed conflict and violence rather than democracy. Elections in April 2003 marked the first civilian transfer of power in Nigeria's history. However, the results were contested in many states, with widespread accusations of fraud. In order to minimise the risk of future conflict, we worked with our Nigerian partner, the Interfaith Mediation Centre, an organisation that works to promote religious tolerance between Muslims and Christians, to build a network of local organisations in order to encourage dialogue between local NGOs and communities and parliamentarians and officials on political issues; and to ensure that the performance of these elected officials is monitored and their election promises kept. A series of community meetings was held in three states – Bayelsa, Osun and the Plateau of Nigeria – between local people and elected officials to discuss the promises made by the parliamentarians during their election campaigns. Each meeting was followed by a live panel discussion on local radio with call-ins so that people could put questions directly to the parliamentarians. These meetings strengthened the relationship between the electorate and the officials. More importantly, ordinary people have come to realise that they have the power to oust an elected official from office using the ballot box rather than violence. Find out about our work with parliamentarians in the African Great Lakes region.
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