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Tag: Imo

  • Gunmen shoot man dead at Imo timber market

    Gunmen shoot man dead at Imo timber market

    Gunmen have shot dead an unidentified man believed to be a trader at Naze Timber Market in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State. 

    It was gathered the deceased who some people disclosed was a trader at the multi-billion naira timber market was shot dead on Monday. 

    A member of Owerri building material association, who pleaded not to be mentioned, said: “The Police were fingered for shooting  the trader this morning.”

    Read Also: Gunmen kidnap two funeral guests in Enugu community

    However Imo Police spokesman  Henry Okoye who confirmed the incident denied operatives were involved in the shooting. 

    ” Information I have gathered so far indicates it’s not the Police that shot him. 

    More so, the DPO in charge of the area has since been mobilized to the scene for on-the-spot analysis and discreet investigation. 

    “However, the Command is yet to receive official report from him. Once I receive it, I’ll relay accordingly,” he said. 

  • Imo civil servants insist on re-electing Uzodinma

    Imo civil servants insist on re-electing Uzodinma

    Civil servants in Imo State have resolved to re-elect Governor Hope Uzodimma on November 11, insisting that under his regime, they have never had it so good in terms of attention given to their welfare by the government.

    The workers resolved to re-elect Governor Uzodimma on Friday when he paid a working visit to the State Secretariat on Port Harcourt road Owerri.

    Read Also: Anambra CP vows to deal with cultists, their sponsors over killings

    Uzodimma, however, reminded the civil servants, after commissioning the newly renovated walkways to the 10 blocks of offices at the Secretariat, that he would not take their fidelity to him for granted as his friends.

    The Head of Service, Raymond Ucheoma who spoke on behalf of the civil servants described the Governor as God-sent.

    “You are a messiah personified,” he said, adding that the Imo civil servants will forever remain grateful to the governor for the numerous things they have enjoyed under his tenure such as mass promotion of workers, 13th month salary payment, free transportation, free medical treatment, regular payment of salary, conducive work environment, training and retraining of workers, among others.

    Ucheoma noted: “Our joy is rooted in the fact that Your Excellency has a Midas hand, in which whatever it touches changes for good. We are therefore indeed very grateful that our dear indefatigable workaholic Governor found time out of his busy schedule to visit the factory and milling machine of government policies in the State.

    “Your Excellency, as workers in the Imo State Public Service, we have every reason to be thankful to you. During your maiden visit to the Secretariat in January, 2020, Your Excellency promised to make the office conducive for work. You kept this promise by re-roofing the 10 blocks of Offices. You also replaced toilet facilities and repainted the buildings. You rehabilitated the water scheme, repaired the four giant generator sets, and caused the restoration of Public Power supply to the Secretariat.”

     Uzodinma who acknowledged the fidelity of the civil servants to his administration, said it was their support that encouraged him to fulfill all he promised them in 2020 when he assumed office, and the desire to do more.

    Uzodimma reminded them that he had even gone ahead to do things he did not promise such as payment of 13th month’s salary. “I want to tell you that I will still do more.”

    He told them of his plans to increase the number of buses to the civil servants next week and noted that he “cares for civil servants and always wants the best for them.”

    The governor observed that the regular payments of salaries and pensions have enhanced the economy of the State and promised that the arrangement is in the advanced stage to pay the gratuity of retired Imo workers.

    Uzodimma charged the civil servants to resist the temptation of being used by agents of Satan to destabilize the government and the State all in the name of politics.

    He promised that no civil servants would be victimised for exercising their rightful franchise and appealed, “Please stay away from evil dowers. Imo State today is a new Imo and we will stop at nothing from recovering the State.”

    However, he assured that there will be enough security in Imo State for the November 11 election.

    On the current issues at hand which is subsidy removal and its consequences, he noted that he was aware of how prices of goods and services have risen astronomically, making lives unbearable, and

    He informed the civil servants that the government would soon come to their rescue by giving them some palliatives by way of food items. 

    He said he had constituted a committee made up of the Head of Service and others to work out modalities for the distribution of the palliatives.

  • Uzodinma promises to send Imo media merit award winners abroad for training

    Uzodinma promises to send Imo media merit award winners abroad for training

    Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma has promised to send winners of the third Edition of the Media Excellence Award abroad for further training in journalism.

    The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy,  Declan Emelumba disclosed this during the inaugural ceremony of the 9-man committee that will organise the 2023 edition of the Merit Award at the state secretariat,  along Port Harcourt road,  Owerri.

    Read Also: Anambra CP vows to deal with cultists, their sponsors over killings

    He said that the governor has promised to send winners of the third Edition of the Media Excellence award abroad for further training in Journalism, and tasked the Committee to do a thorough job.

    Emelumba charged the committee to ensure that the integrity of the Media Award instituted in 2021 is sustained.

    The Commissioner described Governor Uzodimma as the most media-friendly Governor, since the creation of Imo State, and called on Media practitioners to always report the truth about the Governor, noting his administration’s impact on youths, civil servants, and road infrastructure among others.

    Performing the inauguration ceremony at the Conference Hall of the Ministry, Chief Emelumba congratulated the members of the Committee, and urged them to outline at least 10 categories particularly, areas not touched in the previous editions.

    Chief Emelumba thanked the Committee members for accepting to serve and wished them the best in carrying out the exercise, stressing that they should not betray the trust imposed in them, which is a very serious trust.

    Contributing, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Orientation, Chief Fidel Onyeneke who was also two – time Chairman of the Media Excellence Award thanked the Governor for fulfilling his promise of redeeming the prizes for previous winners, and challenged journalists in the State to reciprocate the gesture by upholding professionalism.

    In his acceptance speech, the Chairman of the Committee, Ukana Omon, thanked the Commissioner for finding them worthy to serve and promised that they would take the exercise to greater heights.

    The members are: Ukana Omon,  Chairman; Williams Unadike Secretary; Chris Dimgba member;  Gele Agbai, member; Ifeanyi Nwanguma, member; Chris Njoku, member; Chinwe Asogu, member; Anthony Ozor, member; and Violet Igwe, member

  • Imo CP arrests inspector for slapping motorist

    Imo CP arrests inspector for slapping motorist

    From Chris Njoku, Owerri

    The Imo State Police Commissioner Muhammed Barde yesterday arrested an Inspector seen in a viral video slapping a motorist along the road in Owerri, the state capital.

    The assault had sparked outrage from the public and, responding, Barde ordered that the officer be identified.

    The Nation learnt that the unnamed officer was then taken into custody for an orderly room trial.

    The CP, in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, ASP Henry Okoye, condemned the unprofessional behaviour of the police personnel.

    Read Also: AK-47, other firearms fabricated in Lagos, says CP

    The statement read ”The attention of the Imo State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video with a caption; ‘Nigeria Police can Never be Your Friend  Especially the Ones in Owerri’, where a Police Inspector alleged to be serving in Imo State was seen forcibly removing the cap of a young man and slapping him severally on his face.

    “The Commissioner of Police, Imo State, CP Muhammed Ahmed Barde condemns this irritating act in totality as it highly contradicts the professional ethics and code of conduct of the Force.

    “The Nigeria Police Force is a highly disciplined organization and will never tolerate the misconduct of the officer seen in the video.

    “To this effect, the CP has mandated his Monitoring Team to investigate and identify the officer for necessary disciplinary action. More so, the victim is encouraged to call the PPRO Imo on 08148024755 or come to the Police Public Relations Department Owerri and make his complaint.”

    Shortly after, the police spokesman announced that the inspector had been arrested.

    The police spokesman said: “The recalcitrant Inspector has been identified; he is currently undergoing orderly room trial after which necessary disciplinary action will be taken against him.”

  • Okorocha to Ihedioha: Don’t take Imo backward

    Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has advised his successor, Emeka Ihedioha, to avoid policies that will take the state backward.

    Okorocha urged him to borrow a leaf from his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde, and desist from attacking his legacies, with the sole aim of getting accolades from his party members.

    The former governor, who was reacting to the setting up of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to review land acquisition and allocation between 2006 and 2019, described it as another ploy to malign him.

    A statement by his Media Adviser, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, said the decision was in bad faith.

    Read Also: Takeover of varsity further attack on my achievements- Okorocha

    He said: “Looking at the members of the panel, who are card-carrying members of the PDP, and their terms of reference, one would have no other option than to conclude that the governor has his target or mission, which is to continue his vendetta against the past APC government in the state and the man who headed it, Senator Rochas Okorocha.

    “Governor Ihedioha has set up more than 14 committees and panels since he became governor and each of the committees or panels has one or two specific assignments to carry out and all against the APC government, which Senator Okorocha had led. For instance, the Prof. Jude Njoku’s education committee took no other action than to take over the PPP-oriented Eastern Palm University and also scrapped the six new Universities, four new Polytechnics and three new Colleges of Education built by Okorocha”.

    Okorocha added: “The panel on infrastructure made no other recommendation than to give the governor the licence to demolish some of the prime projects of the former governor like the flyovers, tunnels and waterfalls.”

  • Laying the markers for a new Imo

    It may seem early in the day but the signs are good; very good indeed. It is such an exhilarating feeling to observe all the good behaviours and best practices one had written about and wished for in the last three decades unfold before one’s eyes.

    It is not only that it is happening in one’s lifetime, but the fact that one is a participant observer. Not a better feeling in a long time one must confess. Again, the natural reaction is to argue that it’s too early to call but then, it is said that morning tells the day. And as Igbo say, a good farmer can tell a ripened corn by sight. You need not pinch the sheaf to know it’s ready for harvest.

    The blitzkrieg of activities of last week finally left me with no doubt that Imo is on to a big deal this time.

    First, an extraordinary Executive Council (Exco) meeting which had in attendance, paramount monarchs of Imo; industry leaders and heads of all the banks in the state was convened.

    Purpose of this expanded (and extended) Exco is to intimate critical stakeholders about Executive Order 005. This implies that Imo State henceforth adopts the Single Treasury Account (TSA). Apart from the federal government, Kaduna is the only other state in Nigeria which has adopted a similitude of the TSA.

    Hitherto, Imo was akin to an economic and financial gangland where the fastest to draw the gun kills the other. There were over 250 bank accounts purportedly operated by the state government: every ministry, department, agency and even individuals opened multiple and parallel accounts on behalf of government.

    State revenue was a bazaar with a plethora of collection contractors. It was largely collect and keep; finders-keepers. While Government House sat firmly on FAAC and lump-sum IGR takings, other denizens of the jungle scrambled over the remains of the feast. That was how come Imo State’s IGR record was a joke – about the least in the southeast. And Imo was supposedly an oil-producing state.

    In just a couple of weeks, the Dr. Abraham Nwankwo-led Imo State Financial Advisory Committee has its interim report ready. Nwankwo was Director-General of Nigeria’s Debt Management Office (DMO) for about a decade. Prior to the DMO job, he had a stint as Senior Advisor in the World Bank. There couldn’t have been a better choice for the job.

    In just a couple of weeks again, the intractable Imo Pensions Scheme has been unraveled as the Pensions Review Committee in conjunction with consultants presented an interim report.

    Verdict: the last proper payment of pension was in 2014; no accurate database of the pension system in Imo State; payment of pension became a racket in the last four years as the system was managed by various contractors. It was a huge payday for jobbers while retired workers lived in pain and penury.

    It has therefore been decided that Imo must urgently migrate to electronic database platforms for her pension scheme. This means that there shall be electronic capture of pensioners. This means that no more carrying of appointment and retirement letters, no more tedious and expensive verifications, no more long queues and delays in payment of pensioners, no more fraud in the pension scheme and the ability of the government to plan and project its pensions outlay over many years is most salutary.

    This is the new regime that will kick in for Imo pensioners this year. Imo pensioners are indeed in for a good time under Governor Emeka Ihedioha. Contributory pension will follow after the system has been revamped and benchmarked under current best practices around.

    The committee on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is hard at work. The state health insurance scheme to cover the entire 305 wards of Imo State is being aggressively pursued. It is a tacky issue but not an insurmountable problem. As the bureaucratic knots are being carefully untied, the governor let it be known that “We have the political will to wring change in this state.” It is always a reassuring charge to members; especially hi-impact members of his team who are burning for a rapid reform of the odious status quo.

    Debris of the mis-governance of the past eight years is being removed on all fronts. The taps in Owerri city had been dry for many years. This has necessitated urgent rehabilitation of the Otamiri Water Scheme. It had been dysfunctional and abandoned for years. Work has commenced and taps will run again in Owerri soon.

    TSA, pension scheme, National Health Insurance Scheme, Public Water Supply, a return to the UN system through the return of UNICEF: If you didn’t see the connection here, what about the return of the World Bank Group to Imo State after a long hiatus?

    The immediate past administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha was of course not up and doing in paying counterpart funds; in addition, its officials were alleged to have sought to compromise the bank’s team which supposedly led to their retreat for about two years. It was nigh impossible dealing with the last government, they determined.

    Last week, a team from the World Bank/International Development Association led by Mr. Salisu Dahiru met with Governor Ihedioha in Government House Owerri. They were later to flag-off the Ezemazu-Urualla Gully Erosion control project in Ideato North. It is a project under the World Bank/NEWMAP programme on erosion and watershed management.

    Notwithstanding the shenanigans of past officials of government, the new government of Governor Ihedioha promptly paid up the counterpart fund of N500m required to kick in this N9.8b project, World Bank’s biggest in Nigeria. The leader of the World Bank team couldn’t hide his surprise: what they had chaffed over for about eight years has been resolved in about four weeks of a new government. It is a mark of leadership, a landmark achievement and it is unprecedented, he remarked.

    The markers are right and the signposts are pointing in the right direction. It’s about leadership and governance; it’s about the grundnorms and rule of law as a mantra for good governance.

    Consider these facts: no serious leader would govern a state without an Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. Though the cabinet is not emplaced, the governor sought leave of the state assembly to appoint one. And he reached for the very best of Imo in Nnawuchi Ndukwe, (SAN). They don’t come much better.

    Again, you can’t begin to run a modern government without a bureau for procurement. Thus one of the first offices set up by the Ihedioha administration is the Bureau for Public Procurement and Price Intelligence (BPPPI). And only the best mind in the land had to run it. The lot fell on Dr. Pascal Egwim, an ex- Regional Logistics Manager for Shell in Africa and a lead Procurement Consultant for Nigeria’s Bureau of Public Procurement; to name just a few accomplishments.

    There is Prof. Chudi Uwazurike, a multi-disciplinary academician, administrator and politician heading Diaspora affairs.

    Engr. John Obinna Chukwu, retired Permanent Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers has been virtually dragged on board; a technocrat with deep experience in public works. He will lead the massive road projects to be embarked upon soon as the rains recede.

    The best hands and minds are consulted daily for the Imo Rebuild project. Kanu Nwankwo was tapped for stadium main bowl re-grassing; Olympian sprinter, Charity Opara co-opted to see to new tartan track project. Prof. Jude Njoku and company sorting the miasma that has been made of university education in Imo and another team lead by Hon. Charles Enwererm and Prof Peter Okorie wringing the change in Imo technical and vocational education.

    Things we thought could never be done are already happening. LGA elections have been set for December this year; State election commission has already been put on notice by the governor. We must not exceed the statutory period stipulated by law for interim conditions to last in LGAs, the governor warned ISIEC

    Imo is about to bask in the euphoria of reason and commonsense, we are about to say goodbye to the era of tomfoolery and bare-faced brigandage; the markers are being rigged in the right places for the rebuild of Imo.

  • Imo prioritises agric revival

    To create jobs and shore up its economy, the Imo State government plans to revive the state’s moribund agriculture sector. OKODILI NDIDI reports

    Not too many people know that aside from its enormous mineral resources, Imo State has huge untapped agricultural potentials that when harnessed will transform it to a leading exporter of agricultural produce.

    But painfully, successive administrations in the state failed to take advantage of these agricultural resources to create jobs and attain food security in the state. Instead, the state government has continued to rely on the 13% derivation from the Federation Account as an oil producing state, leaving these potentials to idle away.

    For instance, unconfirmed reports put the state  ahead of Anambra and Enugu states in the cultivation of cashew which is allowed to waste away but for a handful of  peasants who process the  nuts for the local market.

    A cashew plantation that spans hectares of land along the Njaba-Orlu Road in Njaba Council Area of the state, which was planted during the administration of Sam Mbakwe, has been abandoned. The same applies to the Imo Rubber Estate and the Imo Palm Plantation located in Ohaji-Egbema.

    Although attempts were made by the Rochas Okorocha administration to return the state to agriculture through various policies and programmes, none of these were enough to activate the much needed revolution in the agricultural sector in the state.

    If properly harnessed the cashew plantation can attract foreign exchange for the state through export and direct foreign investments, as well as create meaningful jobs for the teeming youths in the state.

    The Imo Rubber Estate is another abandoned goldmine that is capable of creating jobs and becoming a major revenue earner for the state.

    Established during the reign of Michael Opara as the Premier of the Eastern Region, the Imo Rubber Estate was conceived as a farm settlement with a flouring estate. During its heydays, it was the largest single rubber plantation in the Eastern Region and created wealth and job opportunities for the people.

    Despite the fact that the rubber plantation has been and some of the trees destroyed either by age or climate conditions, no remarkable efforts have been made by successive governments to replant or expand the plantation.

    Read Also: NIRSAL woos banks to finance agriculture

    The Estates which were built in three major rubber plantations in Ngor-Okpala, Ohaji-Egbema and Owerri West Council Areas are now weather beaten and totally abandoned.

    This also applies to the Imo Palm Plantation, which was also established by Michael Opara. Spanning hundreds of Hectares of land, the Imo Palm Plantation is about the third largest single palm plantation in Nigeria and was once the mainstay of the economy of the old Imo State.

    However, despite the prospects, the Oil Palm plantation was grossly mismanaged over the years, resulting in endless clashes between the Management and the host community.

    Meanwhile, if properly harnessed, Imo State will become a major exporter of palm oil and other by products that are derived from oil palm.

    At last there is something to cheer; the Imo State government is set to revive and rejuvenate the agricultural sector and once more make it the mainstay of the economy of the state.

    By implication, the ailing agro-industries in the state will receive the required attention, which will no doubt unlock the hidden agricultural potentials of the state.

    Disclosing the plans of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Uche Udeozor, stated that the state governor, Emeka Ihedioha is committed to accelerated agricultural development.

    According to him, “the state government is committed to revamping agriculture and pull over 60% of the people of the state out of poverty by making the required investments in agriculture”.

    He however lamented that over N30 billion budgeted for agriculture in the last six years was never invested in the sector.

    Also assuring of better deal for the agricultural sector, a member of the newly constituted Board of the Imo Rubber Estate, Chief

    Fidel Onyeneke, said that the current administration is poised to returning the pride of agriculture in the state.

    He noted that the Imo Rubber Estate when revived will create no fewer than 200 jobs, adding that, “the current administration is committed to diversifying the economy of the state by making huge investment in the agricultural sector. All the abandoned agro-industries like the Imo Palm, Imo Rubber Estate, Avutu Poultry, among others that where hitherto abandoned will get the required attention”.

  • Pendulum effect in Imo

    Power changed hands in Imo State, resulting in the pendulum effect. Governor Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wasn’t expected to continue on the path of former governor Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Congress (APC), even though it is said that government is a continuum.

    Indeed, the Ihedioha administration’s move to probe the Okorocha administration demonstrates discontinuity. It is curious that  the eight-member committee set up to investigate Okorocha’s performance in his two terms as governor between 2011 and 2019 is expected to “ascertain and document the locations of and balances on all bank accounts operated by Imo State government, its Ministries, Departments and Agencies as at May 29, 2019.”

    This suggests that the Okorocha administration failed to provide such information before it exited. Ihedioha’s media aide, Steve Osuji, said: “That there was no formal handover was made plain at the inauguration of the Secretary of the Imo State Government recently…Governor Emeka Ihedioha had called up the sitting Permanent Secretary of Government House who was the most senior official left to take the in-coming members of the new administration round the offices. He was asked about the status of formal handing over. The Principal Secretary had told the audience in the hall that no handover had been put to effect…It must be noted that there was no formal meeting between the governor-elect and the sitting governor in Imo State since the election was won and lost.”

    It is unclear why the Okorocha administration had exited in such an untidy manner. By failing to provide such necessary information, the administration showed that it had learnt nothing about proper process. Such unwillingness to play by the rules exposed a government that didn’t understand how not to leave the stage.

    The investigative panel is also expected to ”review all financial transactions and where necessary, a forensic audit with a view to ascertaining sources of funds and the application of same;  review such   disbursements/applications of state resources to ascertain the propriety of charges levied on accounts, interest payment on loans and deposits where applicable, authorisation, etc; and review the operations of the Imo State Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) with a view to recommending appropriate strategies to reposition the agency for better performance and sustained growth and to conduct governance/financial reviews of key agencies of government with a view to documenting all revenues generated or subventions/allocations between 2011 -2019.”

    Perhaps the probe would show that the Okorocha administration had something to hide; perhaps not. Ihedioha’s inaugural speech on May 29 gave an insight into the need for a probe.  ”Pensioners are owed for over 77 months, accruing fifty-seven (57) billion naira in Pension liability alone,” he said.  ”Eight years of bad governance led to a mind-boggling decay of critical public infrastructure; a crippling debt burden without any meaningful infrastructural or institutional developments to show for such a humongous debt.”

    Ihedioha added: “In the light of recent revelations by interest groups, various institutions and agencies of state, many have asked what becomes of those who recklessly plundered our commonwealth. My answer is simple: They will be held accountable. While this administration will be forward looking and not embark on any witch-hunting, those who have held positions of authority must prepare to render account of their stewardship to the people because our resolve to hold their feet to the fire of probity and accountability is iron-clad.”

    When a new governor probes his predecessor’s administration, particularly when they are members of opposing parties, there is a public tendency to attribute such investigation simply to a malicious desire to rubbish the target of the probe. But such perspective is simplistic. There may well be good reasons for such investigation.

    Okorocha had displayed desperation to determine his successor. He had desperately wanted his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, to succeed him. Nwosu had defected to Action Alliance (AA) from APC after failing to get what he wanted.  In a display of crude godfatherism, Okorocha had shamelessly supported Nwosu who was the governorship candidate of a political party different from his in the March 9 governorship election.

    Okorocha clearly carried godfatherism too far. It wasn’t surprising that his party decided to punish him. His party’s National Working Committee (NWC), on March 1, suspended him “for anti-party activities.” In a statement, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the NWC “has also taken a decision to recommend the expulsion of the suspended individuals to the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.” Also suspended was then Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who had similarly backed another party’s governorship candidate whom he desperately wanted to succeed him.

    The APC statement stated that “the NWC had earlier written to the suspended governors on their anti-party activities, and several other steps were taken to ensure they desist from taking actions that are inimical to the interests of our party and candidates. Notably, these individuals have not shown any remorse and actually stepped up their actions.”  The party accused the suspended governors of “serial anti-party activities,” and “noted how the suspended members have continued to campaign openly for other parties and candidates that are unknown to our great party. They have in fact constituted themselves as opposition to APC candidates in their respective states.”  Interestingly, both men are now APC senators-elect.  It is a cause for concern that they will sit in the Red Chamber pretending to be men of honour.

    If things had worked out according to Okorocha’s plan and Nwosu had succeeded him, there would have been no question of a probe.  Not surprisingly, Nwosu advised that Ihedioha “should rather consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor.” Nwosu’s words: “If I were the governor today, I would face the business of governance knowing that there is job to do.” But Nwosu is not the governor, and the governor’s job involves determining the extent of alleged bad governance by the previous government. Good governance implies exposing past bad governance, while carrying out the business of governance.

    Since a probe can only uncover things that are covered up, Okorocha has no reason to fret about the probe of his administration if there had been no cover-up.  This development is a lesson to people in power.  A pendulum swing counters the old ways, and brings trouble to those who had governed without a sense of good governance.

  • INEC gets pass mark over conduct of 2019 polls

    A coalition of civil society groups said on Monday that desperation by politicians and massive deployment of security operatives contributed to the lapses witnessed during the 2019 election.

    It also declared there was institutional conspiracy to sabotage the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) preparation for the election.

    In its report made public on Monday, the coalition faulted attempts by politicians to put the blame of the hitches witnessed during the elections solely at the doorsteps of the electoral body.

    The report, which is a summary of the various reports on the 2019 election by the coalition of CSOs, led by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), claimed there was institutional conspiracy by the political class and actors to sabotage INEC’s preparations and processes.

    The report identified vote buying, violent attacks on perceived opponents, intimidation and abduction of INEC officials, snatching and destruction of ballot boxes and papers, to burning up of INEC offices and electoral materials as some of the ways the political class ruined the election.

    The report stated in part: “The politicians, their agents, and thugs constituted the greatest menace in the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    “From brazen acts of vote buying, violent attacks on perceived opponents, intimidation and abduction of INEC officials, snatching and destruction of ballot boxes and papers to burning up of INEC offices and electoral materials in Plateau, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Benue and Abia states, the political parties and politicians showed their desperation for power.

    “The resultant losses of lives and properties in such places as Lagos, Rivers, Kogi, Plateau and so on, and the widespread violence that attended these were recorded by our observers as perpetrated by politicians and their political thugs.

    “The recruitment of thugs by the political class from one part of the country to another before the elections evidenced by the arrest of young men travelling en masse at Uyo was as never seen in the history of our elections.

    “The violence that followed the elections was as a result of the hate speeches by the political class at campaign rallies and the conduct of some of the party primaries that ended in violence.

    “Most political party agents seen on the field did not have proper identification tags from INEC the parties printed their own tags for their agents.

    “It has become a recurrent problem of the political parties not following the guidelines for party agent’s accreditation.”

    The report said under such aforementioned circumstances, there was little the INEC could do since it doesn’t control the security apparatus and other relevant institutions such as Nigeria Air Force and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which are key stakeholders in the electoral process.

    Read Also: Nigeria not ripe for electronic voting, says INEC

    “What happens when politicians suborn state institutions to sabotage INEC and its carefully laid out plans and preparations at the last minute, which was exactly what happened leading to the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly election that was supposed to be held on Saturday, February 16, 2019?

    “Some ad-hoc staff became suborned by politicians, considering that they are not permanent staff of the Commission and with a lot of them susceptible to the temptation of immediate gratification for a day’s work without consideration for the consequences,” a segment of the report stated.

    On the role of security agencies during elections, the report stated that in many places, the security personnel deployed for the election turned a blind eye to breaches by overzealous party agents and their thugs.

    It states in both elections, the number of security agents deployed per polling unit was inadequate and in terms of their response to incidences that occurred in their Polling Units, they were grossly inefficient.

    Speaking while presenting the report Acting Executive Director of CTA, Faith Nwadishi commended some INEC staff for their courage and refusal to be bought over by politicians.

    She said: “Of course, we did not expect that the political class would accept INEC’s exercise of its independence without a fight, but what shocked Nigerians was the extent they could go to undermine INEC.

    “The brazen manner the security services were used to intimidate INEC officials in their offices and on the field were terrible.

    “Yet, INEC officials nationwide refused to be intimidated by threats and violence unleashed on its officials and ad-hoc staff.

    ‘’Indeed, INEC’s brave conduct may have saved our nation from conflagration because it was obvious that elements of the political class, including elements of the ruling class, were bent on mayhem if they didn’t get their way.”

    The highpoint of the event was the presentation of award of excellence to the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Enugu state, Emeka Ononamadu, for distinguishing himself during the 2019 General Elections.

    The event also witnessed the presentation of certificates of service to CTA observers.

  • IMO warns on GPS reset 

    The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has urged maritime users of the Global Positioning System Standard Positioning Service (GPS-SPS) to check their systems ahead of the counter roll over.

    Some outdated GPS receiver systems may cease to function properly with serious impacts on navigation.

    The roll over occurs because the GPS system transmits time to GPS receivers, using the format of time and weeks as 10-bit value, which started on January 6, 1980 and can only count 1,023 weeks.

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    The previous roll over occurred on August 21, 1999, when systems reset and began counting towards week 1,023 again. When the GPS system reaches week 1,024, the system will revert to week zero.

    Some GPS receivers are known to be unable to make the transition from week 1,023 to 1,024. If the GPS receiver is outdated or has not been properly updated, the receiver will revert to reading the week zero as August 1999.

    The internal clocks of these GPS receivers will experience lack of absolute reference and may give the wrong time and position or may lock up permanently. Some of these GPS receivers are repairable with upgrades and others will become unusable.