The Nation Newspaper

Tag: continuous

  • Is continuous registration of voters on course?

    Is continuous registration of voters on course?

    Stakeholders have been assessing the on-going continuous voters’ registration, ahead next year’s general elections. How is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) grappling with the challenges? MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE asks.

    Though the 2019 general elections is about one year away, preparations for the contest are already creating excitements across the country. This was perhaps fuelled by the early release of the election timetable by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the change in the order of the elections by the National Assembly.

    In this regard, INEC commenced the Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) exercise April last year, to accommodate those who did not register earlier and those that have just turned 18. Towards the end of last year, there were speculations that the exercise would be terminated by January 31. But, INEC made it clear that the exercise would continue until 60 days before the general elections.

    The commission has been advising eligible voters to go to its offices in all local government headquarters and other officially-designated areas across the country between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays, to get registered.

    But, many prospective voters from across the country have been complaining about the exercise. For instance, they say INEC appears to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of people turning out for the exercise.  The commission has come under the hammer for not being able to provide adequate staff with the prerequisite training to carry out the exercise. Some people have complained that some of the ad hoc staff conducting the exercise displayed incompetence in the conduct of the task they were recruited to perform.

    In some cases, the machines appear to be slow, making it difficult to register many potential voters. The situation has resulted in the loss of productive hours, given that those who want to participate spend longer time than necessary at registration centres.

    Besides, the commission has been accused of not providing adequate information to prospective voters about the procedure of applying for change of polling units by people that have moved away from where they registered. As a result, such persons do not know how they can transfer of their polling units to their new abode.

    People have equally complained that some INEC officials have been demanding for gratification from people before they get registered. Observers say middlemen who are not even INEC staff have been taking advantage of the ignorance or the frustration of eligible voters — particularly those want to obtain the card for purposes of identification — by extorting money from them.

    The Lagos State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Sam Olumekun, said the commission would sanction any erring staff that collects money from the people before registering them. He said INEC would not compromise standard in the conduct of 2019 election.

    Olumekun urged members of the public to report anyone who demands gratification from them to the authorities. He said the fraud was not done by INEC staff alone, but outsiders who collude with them, by turning the exercise into a private business.

    He said: “The commission’s problem in the on-going voters’ registration exercise is extortion. Reports have reached us that some people are being asked to pay some money before they are registered.

    “I must say any staff caught demanding for any form of gratification will be dealt with according to the law. Nobody is supposed to give any dime to anybody before he or she can be registered. The public should watch out and report anybody who falls within the category.”

    The REC said no fewer than 55 registration centres exist Lagos and that INEC headquarters recently deployed additional 30 new machines to address the challenges arising on-going registration exercise.

    He added: “The chairman was actively involved and ensured that new machines were provided for us in Lagos State. Let me assure you that within the last few days when these machines arrived, we are able to register an average of 2,500 voters every day.

    “On this note, I want to assure the people of Lagos that we are not resting on our oars and we implore them to come out to register for coming election. There was this damaging rumour that by January 31, INEC was going to stop the exercise; let me use this forum to tell Lagosians that the exercise continues until further notice.  And for the avoidance of doubt this exercise continues certainly till December 2018.”

    Olumekun cautioned against multiple registrations, noting that people found it more convenient to register afresh each time the opportunity throws itself. He said many of those that have changed their location prefer to register afresh, instead of obtaining the necessary forms at the local government to transfer the registration centre to their new abode.

    He said: “That will result in multiple registrations and it is not acceptable. We implore those who have registered in the past not to come back for fresh registration. What they should do is to confirm their status on our website.

    “I will to call on Nigerians who registered between 2011 and 2015 to check the status of their registration with their phones in the comfort of the homes through the INEC website provided for the verification.”

    An Assistant Director, NOA, Yaba, Lagos, Mrs Abiodun Shittu, who addressed members of Yaba community during the flag off of the exercise, said the agency would ensure that the public were given the necessary information to make them participate.

    She said: “That is why we brought people who can speak the local dialects of the people to enable them appreciate the importance of the exercise. The agency will move from ward to ward within the Yaba council area to enlighten them on the importance of the exercise.

    “We have a responsibility to inform the people and I am very confident that the NOA will not default as far its mandate to the people is concerned. I must say that the turnout today is an indication that awareness is now high side.”

    The founder and National Chairman of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, said the idea of restricting the registration centres to INEC offices in local government headquarters is not the very best. He said in most cases, council headquarters are far away from wards and communities where the bulk of the people live.

    Okorie added: “So, it is discouraging for people to move from their areas of residence to council headquarters for the exercise. The people are held down, because of the prevailing economic condition. My suggestion has always been that the registration exercise should be brought closer to the people at the ward levels.

    “Again, the sensitization exercise should be a daily affair; it is equally the responsibility of other stakeholders to be involved in the exercise. The National Orientation Agency (NOA) should see this as its major assignment for now. If all these things are done and INEC do not implement the electronic voting, we may not get the full benefit of improved voter registration exercise.”

    The founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) said Nigerians would appreciate the continuous voters’ registration more when they are able to vote electronically. He said: “If you have voters’ registration without voters’ participation the purpose would be defeated. It is only electronic voting system people can be assured that their votes will count. That is the only way many people can leave the comfort of their homes to queue up and vote, knowing that it will count.”

    The commission has also been under severe criticisms, following the circulation of footages of underage voters in Kano State in the socio media. INEC had explained that it was on top of the situation. It said it would get to the root of the matter and that anybody found culpable would face the law. INEC chairman, Prof. Mamood Yakubu, said the commission had set up a committee to investigate the allegation.

    A former National Commissioner of INEC, Prof. Lai Olurode, said he was almost killed, when he tried to prevent under age voters some years back. The commissioner’s statement supported the allegation being raised against the commission that element not qualified to vote were in INEC database.

    The Afenifere Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the success of the exercise depends on the will power to correct the mistakes of the past. He said: “It is clear from what has happened in Kano that we do not have credible voters register at the moment. A situation where children of five years are having PVC all over the place is a pointer to buttress what had been said in 2015.

    “When Prof. Attahiru Jega was distributing voters cards, whereas he was busy distributing PVC to individual in the southern part of the country. In the North, PVCs were given to emirs in bulk and they distributed the cards to the people, irrespective of whether they were qualified to have it or not.

    “We have heard that Prof. Oluyede was almost killed, for preventing underage voting in a section of the country. Where we are right now, it means INEC has to clean up the voters registration exercise. If the nation is one country, there cannot be different voting age for people in different parts of the country. If we have agreed that voting age is 18, then it must be 18 in all parts of the country. To restore confidence in the process, INEC has to clean up the voters register to ensure that only those who attained 18 make the list.

    “As for those who have not registered, community leaders, traditional rulers, church leaders and pastors and Imams have to mobilise their members and people to participate in the exercise. They should have their PVC, because it will be useful one day.”

  • INEC and Continuous Voters Registration

    In April 27, in what can be described as voluntary strict adherence to the provisions of the law, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) embarked on Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria. It was the first time in the history of the nation’s electoral system. INEC said the exercise was aimed at giving ample opportunity to Nigerians that attain the constitutional age of 18 and other eligible persons to have their names on voters’ register.

    There is no doubt that there can’t be a credible election without a credible voters register. It is thus inexplicable why previous INEC leadership failed to conduct continuous voters’ registration, as prescribed by the Electoral Act, which would have produced near perfect register. Even the immediate past chairman of the commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, was no exception, despite his pristine overall performance. Before the 2015 general election, INEC under him registered voters for a maximum of 11 days in any given state of the federation. Some state had only four days for voters’ registration! That was why, partly I think, most voters said they couldn’t receive their permanent cards before the general election.

    Thus, the decision by the Prof Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC to commence a registration process that would run continuously for almost two years into the next general election is indeed commendable. There would be enough time to ensure all eligible, and desiring, voters get registered. More importantly, there would be sufficient time to guarantee a clean and credible voters register. At least names of Mike Tyson and Bill Clinton would not possibly creep into our voters register as they did during the tenures of Jega and Yakubu’s predecessors.

    However, some electorates have complained that the registration centres were far from their places of residence. These are mostly people who live outside their local government headquarters, which are the designated areas for the exercise. I really felt concerned when I first saw the report about this (and by the way, I still do).

    It is a naked truth that most communities in the country are several miles away from their local government headquarters, which may ultimately result in discouraging some eligible persons from expending their hard-earned resources on such a gruelling adventure. But in a country that has been battling with the ugly pangs of a crippling recession, the decision to limit the exercise to the local government headquarters is a well-thought out decision that balances the demands of the law, the eligible voters and that of the nation’s struggling economy.

    The electoral umpire, Yakubu has said, is currently spending zero kobo on personnel to register voters at local government headquarters, since its staffers in those areas are doing the work. However, INEC doesn’t have workers at the polling units. So it will need to spend about N1.379 billion every day to pay hoc staff in the 119,973 polling units. Imagine! More than one billion naira every day, in this hash economy where other important sectors are competing for attention.

    Furthermore, I found out that INEC’s approved budget for the whole of this year can’t even pay for the workers needed at the polling units. “The provision for CVR (Continuous Voters Registration) in the commission’s 2017 budget is N1, 216, 346,068 for all Voter Registry Department’s activities, including off-season elections that have become regular since the 2015 General Election,” Yakubu said. That falls below the N1.379 billion needed for the daily wages of ad hoc staff.

    While access to register by all eligible persons is crucial to election credibility, expanding the continuous voters registration exercise to the 119,973 polling units in the country would have also cost INEC the sum of N137.4 billion, in a country whose 10 months financial releases for all capital projects of federal government was N635.7 billion in 2016.

    Besides proximity, some have also complained about the failure of some of the Direct Data Capturing (DDC) machines. While it is not something new for mechanical devices to sometime malfunction or fail to work as in the some reported cases, it was however assuring that INEC said it was thoroughly proactive by making sure such machines were replaced with immediate alacrity.

    My major concern on the exercise, which was a great fulfilment of the law as it also met the yearning millions of Nigerians who craved to be part of the electoral process, was the question raised on the location of the registration centres at the local government headquarters. In the past, voters’ registration was only tied to elections. It was only conducted intermittently rather than continuously as enshrined in the Electoral Act despite the fact that the credibility of a democratic election largely depends on a credible and regular updated voters’ register. That is why many stakeholders have commended INEC in bringing about such cutting-edge changes aimed at ensuring credibility and transparency in all elections.

    Extending the registration to the 8,809 registration areas (ward level) nationwide, as some have suggested, would have meant INEC coughing out not less than N21 billion to carry out the exercise, while at the local government headquarters level, the entire cost is not more than N463 million per quarter. In the past when registration held at the ward level, complaints of inadequate Direct Data Capturing machine, poor power supply and faulty machines, among others, had characterized the exercise. Moreover, the exercise only lasted for few days.

    However, INEC should pay attention to the complaints in some states that the exercise is at a snail-speed, in comparison with other states. Media reports had it that Akwa Ibom, Anambra and Osun states have an average of only 30 voters registering daily. That figures, if true, sure pan into insignificance when compared to the ones from other states.

    Nevertheless, INEC has done well for starting this process two years ahead of general election and making it continuous. It is therefore the duty of the rest of us to ensure we register, collect our cards, and wisely use it to select those we want manage our collective wealth.

     

    • Ossai is a former newspaper editor.
  • Ajimobi seeks continuous prayers

    Ajimobi seeks continuous prayers

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has given gratitude to God for answering the prayers of the citizens, who have been praying fervently for President Muhammadu Buhari’s safe return of.

    A statement by the governor’s Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy, Mr. Yomi Layinka, quoted Ajimobi as expressing delight in the renewed vigour of the President, which, he said, should reinforce the people’s belief in awesome powers of God.

    He called for the continued prayers of the citizens for the well-being of Buhari and leaders at all levels for the country to remain cohesive and return to prosperity and abundance.

    Ajimobi said: “I’m delighted that God has answered our prayers now that Mr. President has returned to continue to steer the ship of our great country.  All along, I had no doubt in my mind that God will heal our President and renew his strength like the eagle’s.

    “His recovery and safe return to the country, hale and hearty, should reinforce the belief of cynics that nothing is impossible with God. He is the giver and taker of life. And no matter how raging the storm may be in our lives, we will only depart this world at God’s appointed time.”

  • Julius Berger MD promises continuous growth

    Julius Berger MD promises continuous growth

    The new managing director of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mr. Detlev Lubasch, has assured that he would sustain the construction company’ s growth. Lubasch succeeded Mr. Wolfgang Goetsch on July 1, 2014.

    Lubasch, who has 27 years of experience within Julius Berger in both Nigeria and Germany; said he would dedicate his tenure to continuing the success of Julius Berger.

    He said he would implement initiatives that would ensure a strong continuity in the management as well as ensuring that the company’ corporate values including quality, reliability, sustainability and integrity remain at the heart of Julius Berger’s corporate culture.

    Goetsch had focused his tenure on strengthening Julius Berger’s organizational structures and developing the Julius Berger Group of companies. Goetsch remains an integral part of the company as he will join the executive management of Julius Berger International and continue to serve within the board of directors of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc as a non-executive director.

    Audited report and accounts of Julius Berger for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed that turnover rose marginally from N201.57 billion to N212.74 billion. Profit before tax rose by 31 per cent from N12.34 billion to N16.22 billion. Profit after tax however dropped slightly from N8.19 billion to N8.06 billion. Earnings per share thus stood at N6.72 in 2013 as against N6.83 in 2012.

    The construction company distributed N3.24 billion in cash dividends and 120 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each as bonus shares as returns for the 2013 business year. A breakdown of the dividend indicated that shareholders received a dividend per share of N2.70 and a bonus share of one share for every 10 shares held as at the closure date.

    The company recently added 120 million shares to its outstanding shares following the listing of the bonus shares declared by the board of the company. The listing of the bonus shares increased Julius Berger Nigeria’s total issued shares to 1.32 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

    As part of its strategic positioning, Julius Berger has said it would focus on further diversification of its clients and business segments, improve on business development efforts, sustain due diligence and explore opportunities in alternative financing models to improve on its performance.