The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Massive turnout

  • Massive turnout at job seekers’ summit

    The 2018 edition of the National Employment Transformation Summit (NETsummit) recorded a massive turnout of jobseekers who heard from Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), professionals, Human Resource companies and other Corporate Institutions assemble to train over 10,000 jobseekers.

    NETsummit a by-product of National Career Fair recording its 7th successful edition this year, the annual capacity building programme assembled top human resource executives, various captains of industries, top organizations, and entrepreneurs, to coach prospective employees in arrears of career information, business development, leadership and Governance, employment and economic opportunities including scholarships, loans and grants for students in a conscious effort to breach the gap between employers, employees, and jobseekers; while also providing invaluable growth opportunities, mentorship for students, youths, and jobs (white and blue collar) on the spot.

    The facilitators included: Chairman/Group CEO, Sodium Brand Solution, Mr Abisoye Fagade; Head, HR FBN Quest Merchant Bank, Yemi Faseun; Country Director, Andela Nigeria, Omowale David-Ashiru; CEO, Team Building International, Yinka Olugbodi; CEO, BI Solutions, Mrs Tokunbo Fasoro; CEO, Metamor46 – ICEMAN, Rufai Oseni (Ace OAP);  CEO Hybrid Group , Dapo Omolade; Ajayi Oluwatobi; CEO, ServicePRO, Yinka Olaniyan; Popular OAP, VJ Adams; Shola Animashaun and many more.

    Human Resources agencies and companies on ground to conduct on-the-spot recruitment exercise included: Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS), Andela, WedBusinessSchool, Univelcity, Drivertise, Gr8jobs, Eventecture, Workforce, GuardianJobs, WaveAcademy, UKEAS, VerifyMe, FBNQUEST, Flobyt, PanAtlanticUniversity, Delicacies Plus, Feminik Logistics and many more.

    The convener of NETsummit, Oluwaseun Shogbamu, an engineer, congratulated the participants on taking a bold step in changing the narrative for a better Nigeria. He called for more support from partners and corporate institutions in areas of training, job creation, personal development and internship opportunities in the quest to add more value to the lives of average  youths.

  • Massive turnout as Imo holds council polls

    …Okorocha, others laud exercise

    There was massive turnout of voters yesterday as the Imo State Local Government election.

    Queue of voters waited patiently in most of the polling units waiting for the arrival of voting materials.

    The Chairman of the Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC), Hon Ethelbert Ibebuchi, who supervised the dispatch of election materials at the Commission’s office in Owerri, said everything was in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise.

    According to him, the commission had embarked on massive awareness and sensitisation campaign prior to the election, which he said was responsible for massive turnout of voters.

    Fourteen political parties will be contesting for the 27 chairmanship and 645 councillorship seats.

    At Eziamma Obire polling unit 4 in Nkwerre Council Area of the State where the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Uche Nwosu voted, the exercise commenced at exactly at 10:45 am.

    Nwosu, who queued behind other voters to cast his vote, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the polls.

    The governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said: “I am satisfied with the conduct of the election, especially the turnout of voters.

    “It showed the people are eager to elect their local government chairmen and councillors”.

    He commended the Electoral Commission and security operatives for the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

    Meanwhile as at 1.30 pm, voting materials were yet to arrive at Governor Rochas Okorocha’s Ogboko Ward 2 Unit 1 in Ideato South Council Area.

    The governor, who arrived around 1pm, chatted briefly with waiting voters before driving out for project inspection, promising to come back.

    Okorocha returned to the polling Unit at exactly 2.30pm to vote.

    Shortly after casting his vote, Okorocha expressed satisfaction over the conduct of the exercise, describing the turnout as impressive.

    He said: “I am happy with the turnout of voters. It shows that the people are happy and eager to elect their chairmen and councillors”.

     

  • Ekiti 2018: Massive turnout of voters amid heavy security

    There was a massive turnout of voters in Ekiti as the accreditation and voting process got underway in the governorship election.

    Reporters monitoring the election across the three senatorial districts of the state report that many voters had arrived their polling units as early as 6.30 a.m. to wait for election officials.

    Across many polling units in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, there was an impressive turnout of enthusiastic voters determined to exercise their civic responsibilities.

    At ward 10 Unit 12 a&b, Basiri area of Ado-Ekiti, the Assistant Presiding Officer, Miss Nafisat Jamie, told our reporter that though they collected all the election materials as early as 6.00 am, the process could not start due to transportation challenge to the unit.

    As at 8.53 am, the names of eligible voters were just being pasted for viewing and confirmation.

    An observer from the Transition Monitoring Group, Mrs. TosinAbati, said the process started late due to late arrival of INEC officials.

    At Ward 10 Unit 9, Okesha area of the state capital, the Assistant Presiding Officer 2, Mr OwoseniTaiwo, addressed the voters, who were already on the queue and opened the ballot box for everyone to see and confirm that it was empty.

    Visits to Wards 3, Units 5 and 13 Idemo, and Ward 9 Unit 12 Odo-Ado revealed accreditation and voting were going on simultaneously with security men on standby.

    An observer from the Alliance for Credible Election, Dr Mike Omilusi, commended INEC for its pro-active strategies in terms of  voter education and sensitisation ahead of the  poll.

    He also commended INEC on the use of the card readers for the election, but advised that more card readers be made available in future elections.

    The observer said that the new idea of accreditation and voting simultaneously was commendable, noting that this would ensure quick conclusion of the exercise.

    At the St Michael’s School, Ajilosun, opposite Mobil filling station, the turnout was also impressive while the accreditation and voting process was also going on simultaneously.

    Speaking with our reporter, an observer from the Justice Development and Peace Initiative, Mr Aluko Isaiah, said the election started well until when the card reader in one of the wards stopped working for about 45 minutes before it was rectified.

    In Isan-Ekiti, where the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, hails from, accreditation and voting commenced across many polling units between 8.03a.m and 8.38. In Fayemi’s Polling Unit 009 Ward 11, accreditation and voting commenced at about 8:38 a.m. although INEC officials arrived at about 7:26 a.m.

    Accreditation and voting began in Polling Units 006 and 007 as well as 005 between 8: 03 am and 8:10 a.m.

    At Unit 009, no fewer than 345 names of voters appeared on the pasted registered list.

    In Ikere -Ekiti, the home town of the PDP flagbearer, Prof. KolapoOlusola, voters trooped out as early as 6.30 am to various polling units.

    No fewer than 667,064 eligible voters collected their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) out of the 913, 334 registered.

     

  • Massive turnout at Edo’s council polls

    Local government elections held peacefully yesterday in Edo State with the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), abstaining.

    But ten other political parties participated in the exercise.

    Governor Godwin Obaseki voted in polling unit 19 in Ward 4, Oredo at 12.35 and expressed satisfaction for the peaceful conduct.

    He commended Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIC) for putting in place adequate logistics for the exercise.

    He said reports reaching him showed election materials “were distributed promptly, even as far as to Edo North Senatorial District.”

    The only exception, he said, was in Egor “and that has been handled.”

    He expressed satisfaction with turnout of voters in his unit and ward, noting that the councillorship and chairmanship candidates did well in mobilizing voters to participate in the election.

    Obaseki, governor of national ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) said the boycott of the exercise by PDP did not affected voter-turnout.

    “We can confidently say the opposition party is not in existence in the state. Every politician aspires from the units and if you do not give them the platform, they will seek it outside.”

    On expectations in 2019 elections, the governor said: “The council election has been peaceful and this is a precursor to 2019 elections; Edo is an APC state, maybe the contest will be outside the state.”

    Ten political parties were cleared by EDSIEC to participate in the elections.

    They are APC, Democratic Alternative (DA), Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Progressive People Alliance (PPA), Acton Democratic Party (ADP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP), National Conscience Party (NCP) and People for Democratic Change (PDC).

    Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) commended security agencies for providing effective security during the elections.

    The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Stanley Orobator, gave the commendation when the Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo, visited the commission while monitoring the elections in Benin.

    Orobator said that the commission, for the first time, experienced smooth and efficient security arrangement which contributed to the hitch-free process.

    He said the presence of security personnel made the build-up to the elections “less stressful”, adding that no challenge was experienced.

    He said that some staff of the commission even had to sleep in the office to ensure protection of materials and early delivery of election materials across the state.

    Kokumo said that his presence in the commission was for on-the-spot assessment of activities and conduct of personnel deployed for the elections.

    He said security agencies were constitutionally empowered to protect the lives of citizens and also provide security in such cases as during elections.

    The police boss, who had earlier visited some polling units in Benin, said he was impressed with conduct of voters.

    He said no report of arrest of any person for any electoral offence had been received from any of the 18 local government areas in the state.

    Sixteen thousand security personnel, including 7, 000 policemen, 5, 000 Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and 1,500 personnel from the Nigerian Army were deployed for the elections.