I need some education here on the Nigerian political party billboards we have now pulled down from the streets of Accra in the name of nationalsecurity. This is what I think: First of, I think Nigerians perhaps form the largest group of non-Ghanaians resident in Ghana. I dont know the numbers but if I think of trade and commerce and those in private universities, etc, I know there are tens of thousands of them here. Buses and other vehicles ply the Accra-Lagos-Accra route on a daily basis. Now, I do not think just about anyone can get up in this country and mount a billboard without the proper authorisation. I know in a country like Rwanda authorities even see the content on a billboard before it gets flighted. I stand to be corrected but I will be mightily suprised if no permission was sought before putting them up. With an impending election and knowing how many potential votes they can get from their country fol k resident here, both the opposition and incumbent are seeking to garner as many votes as they can. I believe if it was realistic for Nigerian politicians to encourage their folks in the UK and US to come down to vote they would have done so. The cost of travelling to Lagos from Accra is lower, there are no visa troubles and its a relatively easier votes-garnering route. Now we say we have pulled them down in the name of national security. I saw some of the billboards. They merely called on Nigerians to go home and vote. Not different from what our politicians do on foreign travels. None of the billboards encouraged or had any violent underlining. I concede that national security folks tend to know more than what you and I know. But what could they possibly have known? Are they also going to block social media feeds from entering our geographic space? Or the security threats of the billboards doesnt extend to other media?
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:17:42 +0000
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