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  • 2019: INEC creates 57,023 voting points

    …Lagos, Kano leads with highest voting points

    ..Ekiti, Bayelsa holds record of lowest voting points

     

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ) has created 57,023 voting points across the country ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    There are 119,973 polling units in the country.

    The creation of the voting points, therefore, brings to 176,996 voting designation for the forthcoming elections.

    The voting points INEC argued was for the ease of voting population. The polling unit is the designated voting point conveniently designed for voters and each polling units according to INEC should not exceed 700 voting population.

    The creation of voting points, which is not far from the original polling units, according to INEC was created to accommodate the extra voters within a polling units.

    For the purpose of 2019 general elections, besides the official 119,973 polling units, the commission created 57,023 voting points across the country.

    A total of 84, 004, 084 million people registered to vote in the general polls scheduled for 16th February and 2nd March, 2019.

    Lagos and Kano states have the largest number of designated voting points in the forthcoming general elections.

    Lagos has 8, 462 polling units and 4,976 voting points while Kano has 8,074 polling units and 3,148 voting points.

    Ekiti and Bayelsa have the lowest voting points in the country. Ekiti has 2,195 polling units and 250 voting points; Bayelsa has 1,804 polling units and 440 voting points.

    The breakdown of polling units and voting points for the 2019 general elections made available yesterday by the Commission shows: Abia with 1,932,892 million registered voters has 2,675 polling units and 1,387 voting points. Adamawa, with 1,973,083 has 2,608 polling units and 1,496 voting points.

    Read Also: INEC to domestic, foreign observers: you’re to observe, not monitor

    Akwa Ibom recorded 2,119, 727 million registered voters with 2,980 polling units and 1,373 voting points.

    Anambra has 2,447,996 million registered voters with 4,608 polling units and 1,112 voting points. Bauchi state has 2,462,843 million voting population with 4,074 polling units and 1,348 voting points. Bayelsa state has a voting population of 924,182 with 1,804 polling units and 440 voting points.

    Benue has 2,480,131 million registered voters with 3,688 polling units and 1,414 voting points. Borno with a registered voting population of 2,315,956 million has 3,933 polling units and 1,138 voting points. Cross River registered 1,527,289 million voters for the coming general elections and has 2,283 polling units and 998 voting points. Delta recorded 2,845, 274 million voters and has 3,624 polling units and 2,239 voting points.

    Ebonyi with 1,459,933 million registered voters has 1, 785 polling units and 1,161 voting points.

    Edo recorded 2,210,534 million registered voters and has 2,627 polling units and 1,892 voting points. Ekiti has a voting population of 909,967 with 2,195 polling units and 250 voting points,

    Enugu with a voting population of 1,944,016 million has 2,958 polling units and 1,187 voting points. FCT has registered voter population of 1,344,856 million with 562 polling units and 2,261 voting points.

    Gombe has 1,394,393 million registered voters with 2,218 polling units and 770 voting points. Imo recorded 2,272, 293 million registered voters while polling units is 3,523 and voting points 1,235 voting points.

    Jigawa has 2,111,106 million voting population and has 3,523 polling units and 1,235 voting points.

    Kaduna has a registered voting population of 3,932,492 million with 5,101 polling units and 2,911 voting points. Kano has 5,932,747 million eligible voters with 8,074 polling units and 3,148 voting points. Katsina recorded 3,230,230 million voting population with 4,901 polling units and 1,751 voting points. Kebbi has 1,806,231 million registered voters and 2,398 polling units and 1,345 voting points. Kogi with 1,646,350 million registered voters has 2,548 polling units and 960 voting points. Kwara recorded 1,406,457 million registered voter and has 1,872 polling units and 1,015 voting points. Lagos with a voting population of 6,570,291 million has 8,462 polling units and 4,976 voting points. Nasarawa recorded 1,617,786 million registered voters with 1,495 polling units and 1,783 polling units.

    Niger with 2,390,035 registered voters has 1,495 polling units and 1,765 voting points. Ogun has a voting population of 2,375,003 million with 3,213 polling units and 1,846 voting points. Ondo with 1,822,346 million voting population has 3,009 polling units and 923 voting points. Osun state has 1,680,497 million voting population with 3,010 polling units and 753 voting points. Oyo state recorded 2,934,107 million, voting population and has 4,783 polling units and 1,607 voting points.

    Plateau has 2,480, 455 million registered voters and 2631 polling units and 2,358 voting points.

    Rivers has 3,215,273 million registered voters, 4,442 polling units and 2,424 voting points. Sokoto has 1,903, 166 million voting population with 3,035 polling units and 855 voting points. Taraba with 1,777,105 million registered voters has 1,912 voting points and 1,685 voting points. Yobe has 1,365,913 registered voters with 1,714 polling units and 1,109 voting points.

    Zamfara with the voting population of 1,717,128 million has 2,516 polling units and 1,013 voting points.

  • Polls: Lagos, Kano leads with highest voting points

    ..Ekiti, Bayelsa holds record of lowest voting points

     

    Lagos and Kano states have the largest number of designated voting points in the forthcoming general elections.

    Lagos has 8, 462 polling units and 4,976 voting points while Kano has 8,074 polling units and 3,148 voting points.

    Ekiti and Bayelsa have the lowest voting points in the country. Ekiti has 2,195 polling units and 250 voting points, Bayelsa has 1,804 polling units and 440 voting points.

    Read Also: Lagos 2019: Christian group declares support for Salis

    The polling unit is the designated voting point conveniently designed for voters, which should not exceed 700 voting population.

    The voting points, INEC noted was created to accommodate the extra voters within a polling unit. For the purpose of 2019 general elections, besides the official 119,973 polling units, the commission created 57,023 voting points across the country.

    A total of 84, 004, 084 million people registered to vote in the general polls scheduled for 16th February and 2nd March, 2019.

     

  • NGO to complement FG effort on peace building

    The Working Group on Women, Youth, Peace and Security in West Africa and the Sahel (WGWYPS-WAS) is set to commence its peace building campaign in some states in Nigeria.

    Mrs Bridget Affiah, Co-state representative of WGWYPS-WAS NG in Delta, said this on Tuesday during the official inauguration of the #Workingroupng4peace Campaign in Warri.

    Affiah said the campaign would be conducted in 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that the objective of the NGO was to propagate peace, particularly in  violence prone states.

    She listed the states to include; Abia, Benue, Borno, Delta, Enugu, Gombe and Kaduna,.

    She said the others were Kano, Lagos, Kogi, Osun, Rivers, Plateau, Yobe and the FCT.

    According to her, the campaign was to further ensure increased awareness on the need to reduce violence especially against the vulnerable populations like the youth, women, children and the physically challenged persons.

    “WGWYPS-WAS was set up in April 2009 with the support of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) across 15 West African Countries and the Sahel.

    “WGWYPS-WAS NG with the hash tag, #workingroupng4peace was inaugurated in  December 2016 in Nigeria.

    “It is an all inclusive platform for experience sharing, analysis and participatory evaluation within the West African Region and the Sahel.

    ” It is also for the promotion and implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related ones on women and youth participation, conflict prevention mechanism and peace building,”she said.

    Affiah said the group recognised states where violence, hate speeches, conflicts and insecurity were prevalent, adding that there could be no meaningful development in a conflict situation.

    “We will try and see what we can do to achieve sustainable peace for sustainable development.

    ” We are going to be working with the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development in Delta,” she said.

    Read Also:Breaking: INEC declares Benue guber election inconclusive

    Another Co-state representative, Mrs Rachael Ruppee, said other objectives of the NGO was to strengthen the capacity of members and bring skills together to achieve good result.

    “The aim is also to enhance information and knowledge sharing in peace, conflict and violence resolutions,” she said.

    One of the guests, Dr Agboro Andrew, said that peace and security was the collective responsibility of everyone.

    “There are a lot of issues right now in Delta, post political issues, cult issues and without peace the communities will be under developed.

    “A lot of companies are leaving the state as a result of issues related to conflict,” he said.

  • Fire razes 70 shops in Kano market

    The Kano State Fire Service said fire has destroyed 70 temporary shops at Yan’Katako Market in Rijayar Lemo area of Kano.

    The Spokesman of the State Fire Service, Alhaji Saidu Mohammed confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on Thursday.

    The spokesman said 30 of the shops were completely razed down while 40 were slightly burnt.

    “We received a distress call in the early hours of Thursday at about 03:45 am from one Bashir Suleiman that there was fire outbreak at the market.

    Read Also; Kano is not working, says Mohammed Abacha

    “On receiving the information, we quickly sent some of our personnel and fire fighting vehicles to the scene of the incident at about 03:52 am to quench the fire so as not to affect other shops,“ he said.

    He advised traders at the market and other residents to be more careful and desist from using instruments capable of triggering fire as a way of guarding against future occurrence.

    Mohammed also advised the people to keep fire buckets, blankets and extinguishers that would enable them curtail any fire outbreak before calling on the fire service.

    Mohammed said the cause of the fire is being investigated. (NAN)

  • Only KEDCO staff can collect electricity bills, not NEPA 2 – MD

    The Managing Director of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Dr Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna, has called on consumers in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states to desist from paying their electricity bills through illegal staff known as NEPA 2, adding that all bills must be paid only to genuine personnel who are known as KEDCO Staff/offices or approved banks.

    Speaking at a media parley in Kano, Gwamna advised KEDCO consumers to ensure they pay their bills at any KEDCO offices and or at the nearest banks.

    According to Gwamna, it has become necessary to give this advice as illegal staff called NEPA 2, have devised means of collecting payments without remitting them to KEDCO coffers or staff who are the genuine personnel to function in that regard.

    “Customers should also ensure collection of receipt after payment. The nefarious activities of such illegal staff who collect revenue from customers without remitting same to the company is affecting our revenue collection,” he said.

    Dr. Gwamna urged KEDCO customers to desist from patronising such personnel, noting that: “You should rather pay your bills through the banks, directly to KEDCO offices or through POS and you insist on getting official receipt for any such payments.

    According to him, in less than one year, KEDCO was able to improve on its revenue collection from 48 per cent in the last five years to 60 per cent presently.

    The KEDCO boss said the company had improved on its customer experience, pointing out that, “we have customer units in all our 180 offices across the three states. Effectively, we resolve technical complaints within a space of two hours, while commercial complaints are resolved within 24 hours. We are currently working on having 24-hour customer care unit service so that customers can get us at any time and lay their complaints for immediate action.”

    He said in 2018 alone, KEDCO spent N4 billion on capital expenditure on which over 200 transformers and 60 vehicles were purchased, among other essential infrastructure, to improve power supply.

    The KEDCO boss also lamented on the challenges of metre by-pass, saying the issue of illegal connections by customers is becoming a big challenge to the company.

    He added that the development had adversely affected the company’s revenue target, noting that “we are almost running at a loss.”

    Gwamna blamed the epileptic power supply being experienced in recent times to faulty transformers, pointing out that KEDCO loses distribution of about 70 to 80 megawatts to two faulty transformers which were yet to be fixed or replaced by Transmission Company of Nigeria.

  • SEC shuts down Dantata ponzi scheme

    The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, has sealed off the premises of Dantata Success and Profitable Company, Kano for engaging in illegal capital market activities.

    According to a statement from the Commission, the company was shut down for carrying out investment operations that fall within fund management without registration with the apex regulator.

    According to SEC, “They do not have registration with the SEC and the Commission has powers according to Section 13 of ISA 2007, to shut down any company carrying out capital market activities without due registration.

    Nigerian laws provide that business activities in the country have to be regulated, in this case SEC is supposed to regulate them.”

    “The strategy of the company is to solicit for funds from unsuspecting members of the public by enticing them with returns of monthly interest on investment of between 25 per cent to 50 per cent depending on the nature and investment type.”

    Read Also: Buhari promises adequate security for poll

    They also indicated a registration period of 5th February to 15th February in one of their numerous notices directing all prospective customers to make deposits into their bank accounts.

    The company sells its forms to prospective investors according to their investment plans ranging from N1,000 to N3,000. The minimum amount investable is N50,000 while the maximum is N5,000,000.

    The investment period of the scheme is pegged at a minimum of 30 working days to a maximum period of 12 months with offer of interest rates on short and medium-term basis.

    It claims to be involved in trading, general merchandise supply, oil and gas, transportation, import, export and general contract.

    The commission had established that the company’s activities also constituted an infraction of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA), 2007.

    The SEC Management said the closure was to end unlawful activities of the company against unsuspecting investors and therefore urged investors to ensure they only deal with fund managers that are registered with the Commission.

    “The account of the company have been frozen, the promoters have been arrested by the Nigeria Police Force and are undergoing interrogation.

    “The Commission wishes to notify the investing public that the company is not licensed to carry out investments business of any type and as such its operations are illegal.

    “The SEC, therefore, advises the public to exercise due diligence and caution in the course of making investment decisions adding that valid licence of lawful operators could be obtained on the commission’s website by members of the public to confirm the licences of firms with which they intend to carry out investment activities.”

  • Buhari in Kano: I’ll continue to fulfil my promises

    THE Sani Abacha Stadium in the heart of the commercial nerve centre of the ancient city of Kano, Kano State, yesterday witnessed an unprecedented turnout of residents and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Supporters of the party from the 44 Local Government Areas of the state converged on the stadium, as the campaign train of President Muhammadu Buahari berthed in the state ahead of the February 16 presidential poll.

    President Buhari, who arrived at the stadium at about 3.55pm, said he would continue to work relentlessly to make Nigeria a great and peaceful country if given a freh mandate to serve.

    Buhari, who was all smiles as party leaders took turns to address the crowd, said: “With the demonstration (massive turnout) witnessed here, I will tell you that I will continue to fulfill the promises I made to you in 2015, which bordered on security, corruption and economy.

    “We have promised Nigerians three major issues concerning our survival as a nation. They are  fight against corruption, security and economic revitalisation.

    “In these areas, I will like to boldly say that we have delivered our promises to the electorate, he said, adding: “If you like you can asked those that came from the Northeast since they use to come to Kano to do business, most them have since returned to their houses and we see that as a significant development.

    “I want to remind you that the promise I made to you Nigerians  to enhance security has been fulfilled and you can confirm this from the people of the Northeast, since you people have business relations and they will confirm to you that they have returned to their homes. This shows that we have achieved security as promised.

    “On the side of development, we have had two successful rainy seasons during which the government provided fertiliser at subsidised rates to farmers in the country, during which we had a bumper harvest.

    “We have banned the importation of rice to enhance local production because as a country we have the capacity to feed ourselves and that is a great achievement.

    “We want to assure you that we made a promise that we will never fail you. The truth of the matter is that I have been a governor, minister of Petroleum, I have been a Head of State and now a politician.

    “There is nothing I want to achieve beyond ensuring that our Nigeria becomes a peaceful and economically developing country. I therefore call on you on election day to vote for us and we assure you of victory and because of that we are going to the next level.”

    The President said a lot had been done to make Nigeria stand on its feet agriculturally. He said: “It is a thing of pride that today Nigeria is cultivating rice to feed itself locally. We have subsidised the price of fertiliser for our farmers who embarked on mass production of food to sustain growth and development throughout the country.”

    On the economy, Buhari said that the government, under his watch, had done a lot in blocking leakages and introducing the Single Treasury Account policy to put the resources in one basket.

    Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje told the crowd that Kano State remains President Buhari’s stronghold and that “Kano politics is about him and him alone”.

    The governor said the President had done a lot in the state, citing, the Lagos- Kaduna-Kano rail being constructed as an example.

    “When he came to Kano, we asked him to construct Kano -Kaduna-Suleja road. And, as you can see, work has since reached advanced stage,” Dr. Ganduje said

    He said that the state government will soon invite the President to inaugurate some projects.

    The governor called on the electorate to come out en masse and vote for President Buhari on February 16, to keep the promise of giving him five million votes.

    APC Presidential Campaign Council’s Director-General Rotimi Amechi carpeted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate Peter Obi for not being truthful during the television programme “The Candidate”.

    He said the former Anambra State governor fed Nigerians with lies by saying that they completed payment for the various railway projects embarked upon by past administrations.

    According to Amaechi, the Federal Government borrowed money for the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    The highpoint of the rally was the presentation of flags by the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole to Ganduje as the governorship candidate. The senatorial and House of Representatives candidates also got the APC’s flags.

     

  • I am seeking re-election to correct Nigeria’s ills – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari said in Kano on Thursday that his decision to seek re-election was informed by his desire and commitment to correct the ills bedevilling the country.

    Buhari made the remark at his presidential campaign rally held at the Sani Abacha stadium, Kofar Mata, in Kano metropolis.

    “There is nothing that prompted me to seek re-election beside my desire and commitment to correct the ills of the country.

    “I was a Governor, Minister and Head of State and now a President. So, I need nothing less than to ensure that Nigeria attains greatness,” he said.

    The president called on all supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  to vote massively for the party to ensure its victory at the polls.

    “There is nothing new I will tell you but I am here to thank you for taking the pains to wait patiently to see me,” he said.

    He expressed satisfaction with the success recorded in the fight against insurgency in the North-East as most of the people displaced by the mayhem had returned to their respective towns and villages following the improvement of peace in the affected areas.

    “We promised to fight corruption, insecurity and improve the nation’s economy. We have been able to achieve a lot in these three critical areas,” he said.

    Buhari said that the decision by the Federal Government to ban the importation of rice had yielded good results as it had boosted rice production in the country and improved the socio-economic status of Nigerians.

    Read Also: Video: Buhari arrives Kano to flag off campaign

    The National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, said President Muhammadu Buhari had achieved a lot within the last three and a half years.

    Oshiomhole said there was no need for APC to rig the elections in view of the tremendous projects it had executed and the massive support the party had across the country.

    He urged the party’s supporters to give it all the necessary support to ensure its success in the forthcoming general elections.

    He commended Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje for the various development projects he had executed in the state which he said were there for all to see.

    Governor Ganduje thanked the Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari for the various projects it was executing in the state and Nigeria.

    He called on the people of the state to vote for the APC to ensure the success of all its candidates in the upcoming elections.

    Eight prominent PDP members in the state including former Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, who defected to the APC were received at the occasion.

    NAN

  • Fire guts Kano market

    The Kano State Fire Service says fire has destroyed four temporary shops at Kasuwar Mariri (‘Yan Itace) Market in Dawakin Local Government area in Kano.

    The Spokesman for the State Fire Service, Alhaji Saidu Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Kano on Thursday that the four shops were razed down completely.

    “We received a distress call in early hours of (Thursday morning) at about 02:38 a.m from one Ismail Mohammed that there was fire outbreak at the market.

    ”On receiving the information, we quickly sent some of our personnel and fire fighting vehicles to the scene of the incident at about 02.45 a.m to quench the fire so as not to affect other shops,“ he said.

    He said that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

    Read Also: Kano Assembly reinstates suspended KASCO MD

    In a related development, Mohammed disclosed that at about 10:35 a.m. also on Thursday, two rooms also got burnt in a house along Onitsha Road in Sabon Gari, while two other rooms were slightly affected with the quick intervention of firemen.

    He advised traders at the market and other residents to be more careful and to desist from using instruments that could trigger fire incidents in their neighbourhoods.

    Mohammed also advised the people to keep fire buckets, blankets and extinguishers that would enable them curtail the fire before calling on the fire service.

  • KEDCO MD laments activities of illegal staff

    The Managing Director of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Dr. Jamilu Isyaku Gwamna yesterday in Kano lamented the nefarious activities of illegal staff who collect revenue from customers without remission to the company, which has adversely affected revenue collection of the company.

    Dr. Gwamna who spoke during an interactive session with Reporters at Bristol Hotel, advised customers in KEDCO network area, namely Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states to desist from patronizing imposters masquerading as the company’s staff to defraud members of the public.

    According to him, the activities of these impostors is now alarming, causing losses and friction between KEDCO and its customers.

    Dr. Gwamna urged customers to pay their bills through the banks, directly to KEDCO offices or through POS, adding that customers must insist on getting official receipt for any such payment made.

    According to him, in less than one year, KEDCO has been able to reduce losses on revenue collection from 60 per cent to 50 percent, adding that revenue collection grew from 48 per cent in the last five years to 60 per cent presently.

    The KEDCO boss said the company has improved on its customer experience, pointing out that, “we have customer units in all our 180 offices across the three states. Effectively, we resolve technical complaints within a space of two hours, while commercial complaints are resolved within 24 hours. We are currently working on having 24 hours customer care unit services so that customers can get us at any time and lay their complaints for immediate action.”

    He said in 2018 alone, KEDCO spent N4 billion on capital expenditure on which over 200 transformers and 60 vehicles were purchased, among other essential infrastructure, to improve power supply.

    The KEDCO boss also lamented the activities of metre by-pass, saying that illegal connection by recalcitrant customers has become a very big challenge to the company, adding that the development has adversely affected the company’s revenue target, “as we are almost running at a loss.”

    Gwamna, however, blamed epileptic power supply being experienced in recent times to faulty transformers, pointing out that KEDCO losses distribution of about 70 to 80 mega watts to two faulty transformers which are yet to be fixed or replaced by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).