A political scholar, Prof. Ayo Olukotun, on Wednesday said that Nigeria needed to learn orderliness and civility from the just concluded U.S. presidential election.
Mr Olukotun, the Oba Sikiru Adetona Professorial Chair of Governance, Political Science Department, Olabisi Onabanjo University made this known in a telephone interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.
According to him, “Nigeria can experiment with the U.S. voting system “because it makes life much easier”.
He, however, said that care had to be taken in the process of experimentation in order to avoid a boomerang.
“We have to be careful that what is supposed to facilitate the process does not turn into an albatross.
“I don’t see why Nigeria and Africa as a whole cannot implement a system that works adequately without fear or favour,” he said.
He said that if President Donald Trump was re-elected for another four-year tenure, Africa as a whole would not stand to gain much considering policies that he had put in place during his first term in office.
Recall that earlier in 2020, Trumps decision to ban Nigeria and other countries from entering the U.S. was condemned by Democratic presidential candidates.
Then, former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden said that “this time, Trump targeted primarily African nations—including Nigeria, the largest economy and the most populous nation on the continent…It is a disgrace.”
Mr Olukotun added that victory for Democrats could tend to favour Africa and especially, Nigeria.
“One should expect that Nigeria will do better and gain a lot if Joe Biden wins as opposed to Trump.
“Foreign policy and bilateral relations between both countries may take a turn for the better,” he said.
NAN
