Yellowknife (May 02/03) - Sandy Lee always knew the road to freedom can be a long and difficult affair. But now the Northern MLA really knows.

She went from her Yellowknife home in the Northwest Territories to some of the hottest lands in the world to oversee an election.

It was not just the heat that was going to challenge the feisty MLA's body and soul -- it would be the violence, and the tension irritated by the election see was there to oversee in Nigeria in West Africa.

"There were guys with AK 47s in the hotel. Right in front of me," said the Range Lake MLA just back from 26 days in Africa's most populous country. "I go to the manager, 'Excuse me, who is that?' She goes, 'I don't know. I thought he was with you.' I said, 'No. And can you find out, because this guy has a bigger automatic weapon than my bodyguard."

When the president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, was re-elected on April 19 it was no small feat.

Lee was one of 25 members of a democratic team brought together by the Commonwealth secretariat in London to monitor the elections in Nigeria.

Lee had never been to Africa, and says she "knew nothing" about Nigeria when she got the call from London during March break.

Now she says, "I think it's good that I didn't know a lot about the politics. I was born in Korea. I know politics are more rough in other areas. I was ready for a new experience. But if I'd known a lot of things about it, I never would have gone."

"It was a wonderful opportunity for Ms. Lee to broaden her experience in parliamentary procedure," said Dough Schauerte, deputy clerk. "It reflects well on the opinions abroad of our legislature. We were pleased and proud."

When Lee was first contacted by phone call and e-mail from the Commonwealth secretariat, "I laughed, 'Oh sure,'" she recalled. "I didn't tell anybody for a while."

The request was straightforward: They wanted a Canadian to help oversee the three-week elections in a country with 30 political parties, 200 official languages, and over 100 million people constantly faced with violence between religious and ethnic groups.

Lee was one of three elected officials on the team which included an MP from South Africa and an MP from Sierra Leon.

The leader of the group was Salim Salim, the former prime minister of Tanzania.

"He didn't want us to come in and work and act like we knew what was good for Nigeria," said Lee. "We were going to report what we saw. And do it in a way that was helpful."

Independent since 1960, Nigeria has known mostly military rule.

There is no birth registration process, so no one knows really how many people are in the country.

Between different ethnic groups and chiefs, in states with different kingdoms, the country has survived, Lee said, always with amazement in her voice.

Nigeria is the world's sixth-largest oil exporter in the world, and their "super-power" potential is undeniable, she said.

But civil unrest which has created extravagant wealth in some areas and poverty in others has crippled the land.

"When things do work you're just amazed," said Lee.

When all was said and done, the country reported a 99 per cent turn out rate for the elections.