Human rights activist Aisha Yesufu has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is not the problem with Nigeria’s electoral system, but rather the people working within the commission.
Yesufu made this statement in a social media post that has gone viral, where she challenged Nigerians to stop blaming institutions and begin taking responsibility for the actions of those operating them.
“INEC is not the problem. The people working in INEC are the problem. These people are not aliens; they are part of us. Let everyone call their people to order,” she said.
According to her, the same problem affects other key institutions in the country, including the police, military and judiciary, noting that their failures are not necessarily due to the institutions themselves but the people managing them.
She argued that even the best laws and institutional structures would continue to fail if those responsible for implementing them refused to do the right thing.
Yesufu urged Nigerian leaders, politicians, families and communities to hold their members accountable and call them to order, rather than continuously blaming institutions for the country’s challenges.