HOW BLOCKCHAIN CAN HELP IF NIGERIA WANT TO TRANSMIT ELECTION RESULTS THROUGH THE INTERNET

HOW BLOCKCHAIN CAN HELP IF NIGERIA WANT TO TRANSMIT ELECTION RESULTS THROUGH THE INTERNET

Blockchain is now a familiar word to almost everyone who owns a browsing phone; it is either you came across it on the social media, news or through a friend. Cryptocurrency has become a subject that is most trending on social media every day, due to the brake through of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies which are pulling people out of poverty.

 

 

 

Whenever the word blockchain is mentioned, the only thing that comes to most people’s minds is cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Doge, and so on. Blockchain is more than cryptocurrency there are more solutions blockchain Technology can provide other than cryptocurrency. Blockchain can be used in Agriculture, Elections, Real Estate and so on.

 

 

But first, we have to understand what blockchain is.

 

 

What is Blockchain?

We are familiar with a ledger. When you buy something, it is recorded in a ledger (What you buy, The quantity, and the amount you pay). But the ledger only stays with the business owner so if there is a need to check some information about the goods, you will need to visit the seller.

 

 

Imagine a scenario where you bought a gold chain with a pendant from Mr. Ewu's shop and something happened that the chain got to someone else hand. In search of how to retrieve your chain,

 

you remembered that the chain has a serial number so if you can take the person to confirm the owner information from the ledger of the seller which is Mr. Ewu the case will be solved.  Now the challenges are Mr. Ewu's former shop got burnt and he has relocated to another shop far from your place.

 

 

You don’t know if the ledger on which your purchase details are written got burnt in the fire Incident. Blockchain is a ledger that is on the internet it works with network of computers called “nodes”,

 

it cannot get burnt because it can be transferred from a computer to another like your social media accounts and can be accessed easily, also the transaction cannot be manipulated because manipulate you have to gain access to all the nodes (which may be 6000 nodes and in 60 countries).

 

 

 

Blockchain is a means of keeping or recording information n on which it will be impossible or very information manipulate. It is a digital ledger whereby all records are distributed across the entire network I.e every transaction performed is updated on the network for everyone to see.

Why Blockchain Technology is the solution to the fear of transmitting election results online.

Most of us believe that cryptocurrency is the use of Block chain technology. No! Block chain technology can be useful in many areas.

1.      Second half of this year, the Nigerian Senate vote on the bill to transmit electoral result through the Internet. Unfortunately, majority voted against it because the think election results can be altered and politician can pay hackers to change election result. Anything on block chain cannot be altered because you will need access to all the computer serving as nodes before you can (which is very impossible. Once the results from each polling unit is uploaded, it will be impossible or extremely difficult to change.

2.      The next complain will be; “how will the results be uploaded in areas without network?”. This was another reason given by some of the senators who voted against transmitting election results online. Well I know most people in support of transmitting election result online will say the results should be taken to areas where there is network and sent. But the concern is still that we want to eradicate election result manipulation, anything can happen between the polling unit to the nearest area where there is network. The solution is : Blockchain technology can be used to create applications or software which take data offline and the data cannot be changed. Once you input the data and save, it save with a unique code which has been generated from the office and noted down. This data will not be delectable except you delete the app until you upload it to the server. With this it will be extremely difficult to manipulate the result, also the app will not be downloadable or transferable.

If the government is ready to eradicate election result manipulation, transmitting it through internet is the way out and Blockchain is the tool to be used. I hope the government will reconsider transmitting election result online.

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