Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-23-Speech-3-303"
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"en.20070523.21.3-303"2
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"Madam President, I apologise for re-scheduling my speech, as we were holding a very important vote to elect the president of EUROLAT.
Nigeria failed to make use of the opportunity the elections presented. Our observers clearly confirmed that the elections were neither free nor fair. This was because of corruption and very poor organisation. The Nigerian Government is entirely to blame for this. The elections were overshadowed by terror, in which 50 people died, most of them in the Niger Delta. At times they were nothing but a caricature of elections, where some polling stations failed to open, while in others bandits destroyed the ballot boxes.
Europe should be especially meticulous in observing elections in this country, which is the largest in Africa and for many other African countries is a point of reference economically and politically. Elections in a country of 110 million, of which 64 million are of voting age, should focus the attention of public opinion. Unfortunately these elections did not boost, but have effectively weakened, Nigeria’s position in the international arena.
In the run-up to the elections we noted a number of activities and tendencies not related to the election process that are cause for concern. For example, in Muslim-governed areas, girls going to Christian schools were forced to wear veils as symbols of Islamic tradition. This is a clear breach of religious rights and tolerance, but such practices are on the increase, and such discrimination may become even more widespread when Muslims take more power in Nigeria. As the European Parliament, we cannot pass over this matter in silence, particularly as it is an imposition on the minds of children. Tomorrow will be an opportunity to take a stand on this matter in the voting, and there will be voting in an amendment on this very issue.
But what will happen next, after the elections? We should do more than just criticise, for which we have just grounds. What we also need is a clear plan on how to force the observance of democratic rules of play in a country which plays a key role on a continent which is practically our neighbour. In other words we have to force the Nigerian authorities to reflect democracy and free elections or – to be frank – turn off the tap of financial aid. This aid must not be channelled towards state and federal structures. Instead it can and should be forwarded to non-governmental and social organisations. We must also put pressure on the Nigerian Government to act more effectively against corruption, the use of force and the sense of impunity that local authorities, which are practically states within a state, have."@en1
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