PVC reader and bomb detector

Also published in Daily Trust

Modern technology has, among other things, greatly enhanced transparency in democratic voting processes in many countries that have used election transparency enhancement technology to conduct free and fair elections, which consequently enabled them to achieve various degrees of political stability, depending on each country’s degree of commitment and amount of relevant technology it has been able to afford and adopt.

Though not absolutely immune from human tampering, being man-made after all, the technology has largely proved its effectiveness in neutralizing the incumbency edge, for instance, which many unpopular regimes and incumbents have always used to manipulate electoral processes and perpetrate massive vote rigging in order to cling to power.

In fact, many a time, such unpopular incumbents monopolize and hold onto power beyond the tenure limits originally allowed in their respective constitutions, by organizing and conducting some phony national referenda and/or devious voting processes within their respective parliaments to tamper with the constitutional provisions with regards to tenure limit.

However, such practices have become history even in many emerging democracies that have adopted election transparency enhancement technology. Consequently, there has been a steady rise in the number of democratic governments which came to power through largely transparent electoral processes.

However, though Nigeria is set to implement its newly albeit partially upgraded electoral process in the forthcoming election season, which starts in two weeks’ time, it is quite disappointing that the country is still lagging behind many of her peers and other emerging democracies around the world in terms of the level of electoral process upgrade it has achieved in this regard, anyway.

Yet, even more disappointing is the sheer resistance this relatively little upgrade is facing from the powerful but increasingly desperate vested interests who have certainly realized that their usual vote rigging strategy may not work out well for them this time around after all, if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) uses it to conduct the upcoming elections.

Besides, the satisfactory performance of the PVC reader during the recently conducted mock election in various states of the federation has further disproved and dispelled the unfounded doubts unnecessarily raised and repeatedly expressed by such vested interests over the efficiency of the device and its performance.

Now, while hope for change grows and public confidence in electoral process is being gradually restored thanks to election transparency improvement measures adopted by the INEC e.g. the introduction of permanent voter card and its reader device, among other things, the use of bomb detection device is becoming increasingly common in public places to prevent bomb attacks, which increasingly occur particularly in the northern part of the country where Boko Haram terrorists attack soft targets indiscriminately where multitudes of innocent people lose their lives while the relatively lucky ones sustain serious injuries or permanent  disabilities. 

The growing security consciousness among even the ordinary Nigerians who in the past hardly worried more than necessary about their personal security for being too poor to attract armed robbers when armed robbery was the main security concern in the country explains the growing collective and individual obsession with whatever preventive security measures likely to protect themselves from Boko Haram attacks. This is quite understandable after all, in view of government’s failure to provide adequate security in the country particularly in the worst affected areas. 
The proliferation of handheld bomb detection devices, which is obviously due to its relative affordability, ease of handling and perceived effectiveness, reflects the growing public concern over their growing vulnerability to terror attacks in markets, mosques, schools, churches and other public places. 

However, though concealed bombs and other explosives can indeed be detected and deactivated before they go off, and notwithstanding whether all such handheld bomb detection devices commonly used in Nigeria to search individuals before entering into many public places are genuine and effective or not, I doubt whether it serves its intended purpose, which is not only to detect a concealed bomb but also prevent its explosion as well.

Obviously, what happens in the best-case scenario under these circumstances is that, a bomber on a suicide mission could actually be exposed before he enters into, say, a market, yet there is nothing that can instantly deactivate the bomb or prevent the bomber from detonating his bomb there and then.

Many people have been killed this way and many more are still being killed at the checkpoints and entrances of many public places across the northern part of Nigeria where not only the  security guards searching the people are killed but also many among those waiting for their respective turns, as well as many others who happen to be there.

It could perhaps be argued that, more potential fatalities are averted this way anyway, because had the bomber actually got into his targeted destination, the death toll would have been much higher, nevertheless, while this argument is correct, it does not negate the imperative of introducing better preventive measures to ensure better protection of lives and properties. 

Increasingly enough also, maintaining the standards of fairness and transparency in electoral process can itself end these security challenges and indeed solve the country’s persistent leadership problems, for it will guarantee election victory for the trustworthy and the most competent candidates at all levels of government hence bring about good leadership; the absence of which has always been the main cause of all our socio-political and economic crises.