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Tag: Register

  • 200 register as Glo Xchange agents in Abeokuta

    200 register as Glo Xchange agents in Abeokuta

    Over 200 Nigerians at the weekend thronged the Town Hall meeting and training organised for prospective sales agents for Nigeria’s first super mobile money network, the Glo Xchange at the Spices Event Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

    Addressing participants, Globacom’s Mobile Money Expert, Mr. Tim Mukata, described the Glo Xchange agentship as a veritable avenue for business minded Nigerians to make money on every transaction without losing their initial deposits.

    “Being a Glo Xchange agent is a win-win situation for agents as the floating capital remains the same at any point in time. The agents will get commissions on every transaction, attract clients to purchase other merchandising items in their shops and carry out transfer of money anytime of the day, seven days a week. It is very safe and easy and I implore Nigerians from all parts of the country to join the train,” Mr. Mukata said.

    He informed the participants that a Glo Xchange agent can make up to a monthly profit of fifty thousand naira initially and increase it as more people transfer money through the platform. He said the agent can graduate to the level of recruiting agents, sub dealers and dealers.

    Mr Mukata who said Globacom was facilitating the network in partnership with Ecobank, Stanbic IBTC, Firstmonie and Zenith Bank, noted that the Glo Xchange network would form the foundation for agency banking in Nigeria in the nearest future.

    Since Glo Xchange was launched three weeks ago, thousands of Nigerians have registered as agents of the country’s first super mobile money agent network.

    Commenting on the training, the representative of the Ogun State League of Cooperative Thrift and Credit Societies which has over one hundred thousand branches, Mr. Kunle Akingbogun commended the initiative and urged Globacom to extend the partnership to Skye Bank for their members to benefit from the scheme.

    In a related development, a prospective sales agent Prince Jaiye Adeleke who recently retired from Union Bank said the agentship would be a continuation of his relationship with people in the last thirty years of his banking experience.

    He praised the Management of Globacom for always coming up with innovative products and services, describing the Glo Xchange platform as a means of empowering people and combating the unemployment scourge in the country. He said he had always been a Globacom customer and would always be a Glo subscriber.

  • We’ll register 400,000 members in Ondo, says Akeredolu

    The Interim Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Party (APC) in Ondo State, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) at the weekend said the party is targeting over 400,000 registered members.

    He hailed the people for their massive turnout for the exercise.

    Akeredolu was optimistic that more people would still register with the party, following the two-day extension, after the initial five days.

    The frontline lawyer was happy that reports from various registration units showed that the exercise was smooth with massive responses.

    Akeredolu, who was the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, spoke in Owo, his home town, after he and his wife, Betty, were registered at Polling Unit 6 at Ijebu 2 Ward 5.

    There was a massive turnout of APC supporters at the ward.

    Among those at the registration centre was the Chief Imam of Ijebu-Owo community, Alhaji Aminu Jekitemiodara. He also registered as APC member in the same unit.

    Akeredolu attributed the success of the exercise to the earlier mobilisation by leaders of the party in the state and the clear yearning of the people for a positive change at the state and national levels.

    The former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President faulted the claim of the ruling Labour Party (LP) that APC deceived the people that the registration was being conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The APC chieftain challenged Governor Olusegun Mimiko to resign and contesting against the party’s candidate.

    He said: “The secret behind this turnout is that our people are tired of the LP and PDP governments. They have determined that there must be a change. LP can say whatever it likes. Did you ever hear a statement from APC that it is INEC registration? Are they saying our people are daft and the forms they are being given is INEC’s? If you get to a polling unit and discover that it is not INEC, won’t you go back?

    “The problem they (LP leaders) have is that they are afraid because they know they will be swept away. They are intimidated by the massive turnout recorded by APC in the state.

    “If Mimiko and his followers do not believe in this registration, let him and his deputy governor resign and, if we have an election in the next one month, they will be embarrassed.

    “At the end of the exercise, we expect over 400,000 registered APC members. We have exhausted 100 persons in each unit. We have about 3,009 polling units and we have got over 300,000. The registration officials are calling for more booklets. So, we are targeting 400,000 and even more than that.

    “I believe the registration will still continue after the five days. The first phase of the registration will end today so that the party will be prepared for its congresses.

  • Register if you live in Lagos

    Forget Abuja, the place to be in Nigeria is Lagos, the centre of excellence. And it didn’t earn that epaulette recently. Since overthrowing Calabar as capital of the geographical area now known as Nigeria, it has grown from a simple coastal town to what it is today – a mega-city. And like New York is to US, so is Lagos to Nigeria. Hence, it’s great to be a part of this great state. I am definitely not alone in this as many residents of this state would agree there is nowhere like Lagos.

    And daily from the other 35 states, there is a steady exodus to Lagos, which like a mini Nigeria, comprises people from all the nooks and crannies of the country. As the nation’s commercial nerve-centre, it is the Mecca of success. And anyone who succeeds in Lagos, can succeed anywhere in the world. Despite this, Lagos still grapples to cater for Lagosians. Yet, over the years, all sorts; businessmen, artisans, traders, investors, stragglers, nomads, and herdsmen, from other states and abroad have trooped to Lagos. And they keep coming, attracted like iron to magnet. Such is the pull Lagos has.

    But to boast about Lagos is not the purpose of the piece, even though the state has earned bragging rights. Rather, it is to dwell on the recent drive of the state government to document every one that resides in Lagos. Organised by the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), the scheme seeks to register all those who ‘reside’ in Lagos in a database. Though a sizeable population of people reside in neighbouring Ogun states in places such as Sango, Mowe, Matogun, Akute, Sagamu, but earn their living in Lagos, this scheme is targeted towards only people residing in Lagos. But why is the need for this?

    In development economics, high premium is placed on planning. And one essential ingredient which drives policy formulation is statistics. Without having the correct population figures, planning for that population is subject to trial and error. But real development is not achieved that way.

    I remember a conversation I overheard in a commercial bus about the period of the last population census organised by the National Population Commission (NPC). An Igbo chap speaking with his friend, said he was going to his village to ensure he was counted there. From what I gathered, this chap lived and traded in Lagos. He fitted the bill of the typical Igbo hustler that go ‘home’ to his village in the east during festive periods after a ‘good’ year. But, to him, being counted in his village obviously meant more. His likes don’t realise how they short-change themselves. I mean, Lagos is where he works, probably renting a shop or office, renting a house, going to hospital, sending his children to school, and enjoying other ‘public’ infrastructures. It is to Lagos that he most likely pay taxes, go to clubs, and entertain most of his friends and relatives. And most likely, it is with proceeds earned in Lagos that he prepares for retirement. Bottom-line: he lives ‘more’ in Lagos. He probably felt the issue of census was more for ethnic advantage than developmental purpose. To other people, the thinking is that the registration is for taxation purpose. But Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has dispelled these fears. According to him, the registration of residents is “to enable us have a reliable database of all residents so that we can plan better and increase access to government services.”

    Section 10 of the state’s law agency charged to create a reliable data base of all residents of Lagos State with a view to providing useful information for social welfare, security, business, employment, financial activities, health, and housing. This data will no doubt ensure planning and aid development. Hence, government will know how many people it should provide water for, how densely their environments are, so as to be able to deploy adequate security, the number of children in the state that need to go to school. And even in the long stretch, to know how many people would need electricity, when and where they are needed more.

    Already, the pilot phase of the scheme has registered over 60,000 civil and public servants in the state. The next phase is to register Lagos’ residents into the database and issue them with Identification cards. There are many reasons why this data is needed. For instance I’ve always wondered why the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) does deploy a daily train on the Alagbado/Iddo axis like every hour on weekdays, knowing there is a huge population there to service. If strategists at the corporation had data of people likely to commute along that axis, surely it would have known that it was depriving potential train riders of its services. And also losing revenue too.

    However, with the forthcoming Lagos light rails, data collected from this scheme would allow the state to efficiently deploy its trains to serve Lagosians better. The other modes of public transportation also stand to benefit. This is because it would have not an ‘idea’ but a realistic figure to work with. That is just one of the symbiotic benefits of planning. Residents would be happy just as government efficiently meets its service. This database would also come in handy when drafting policies in other sectors.

    That Lagos is on the road towards achieving mega-city status is no longer news. But to realise tthatt dream, there is need to have a sensible count of ourselves. And this must be viewed not in term of voting figures or for taxation purposes. Rather, it should be viewed with achieving development. If we refuse to cooperate with the state by registering and availing the state government of necessary data it needs for planning, we might not be able to hold government accountable for inadequacies in deliverables. That is the truth. Government officials are not spirits that know everything. And without registering as a resident in Lagos, one is just ‘doing’ himself or herself.

     

    • Akinmosa wrote from Agege, Lagos.

  • No credible poll without credible register, says Oke

    The verdict of the Supreme Court in last October’s governorship election dispute in Ondo State will set a precedent in the judicial system, Chief Olusola Oke, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidate, has said.

    Oke, PDP, the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria and its candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, are challenging the declaration of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as winner of the election.

    They alleged that fictitious names were injected into the voters’ register used for the election and that the poll was marred by irregularities.

    Speaking with reporters yesterday in Akure, the state capital, Oke said: “We have put all the facts before the Supreme Court and are waiting for it to make the final pronouncement, which will set a precedent.

    “If the Supreme Court says you cannot build something on nothing, it will become a precedent and will send a signal to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be credible in its sensitive assignment.”

    The former PDP National Legal Adviser called for a complete overhaul of INEC to achieve credible elections in 2015.

    He said the replacement of the commission’s head has not translated into fundamental changes in INEC’s activities.

    Oke said although INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega has good ideas, those working with him, who have been in the commission for years, have refused to change.

    He said the country’s voters’ register had been “bastardised” and could not be used to conduct any credible election.

    Oke said: “When I read about INEC’s outburst on the illegal injection of names into the voters’ register in Anambra State, I was delighted because it vindicated our position.

    “If you are talking of credible elections, the voters’ register must be sanitised because it is the foundation of any election. You cannot build something upon nothing and expect it to stand. If the voters’ register is not credible, you cannot talk about credible election.”

  • 2015: INEC may weed out 7m multiple registrants from Voters Register

    2015: INEC may weed out 7m multiple registrants from Voters Register

    •INEC uncovers 100, 458 multiple registrations in Anambra

    Barring last minute hitches, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may eliminate about 6-7million eligible voters out of 73.5million from the nation’s Register of Voters.

    The affected voters had engaged in multiple registrations in order to corrupt the electoral process.

    The commission also said the first phase of the production of 40million Permanent Voters Cards is almost completed.

    INEC’sDirector of ICT, Chidi Nwafor spoke at an interactive session between the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, media professionals and Civil Society Organisations in Abuja.

    He said the exercise had so far revealed between 6% and 20 per cent of duplicates in each state.

    Nwafor explained that about 100,458 multiple registrants out of 1,718,165 registered voters had been uncovered in Anambra State.

    He said the 100, 458 multiple registrations in Anambra State represented 5.6% of the registered voters.

    He said: “In 2011, tentative figures were declared based on feedback from the field and the commission declared a total of 73.5million registrants nationwide.

    “After the successful conduct of the 2011 elections, the register of voters has been undergoing several processes to improve its quality to ensure a flawless Register of Voters which is the basis for freer, fairer and more credible elections in 2015.”

    He said the deployment of Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) has led to the elimination of multiple registrations.

    He added: “We adopted the Standardized Biometric solution developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

    “The AFIS software allows the commission to execute a de-duplication process on its database of registered voters. This de-duplication process identifies multiple registrations and appropriately flags such

    “The exercise has revealed between 6% and 20% of duplicates in each state. About 34 states have been run successfully, we have only Lagos and Kano left and the process will be completed before the end of this month (August 2013).

    “So, we are looking at eliminating about 6 -7million multiple registrants from the nation’s Register of Voters after the completion of the exercise. I will prefer to give you the accurate figures when we finish.

    “In Anambra State, our data consolidation showed 1, 811, 519 but AFIS revealed 1,718, 165(leaving a difference of 93, 354 or about 5.2 per cent). And when we applied business rules, we finally arrived at 1, 711,061 voters with additional difference of 7,104 bring the percentage of multiple registrations to 5.6 per cent in Anambra State.

    On the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVC), Nwafor said: “The first phase of PVC to print 40million voters’ cards is almost completed and the delivery of these cards to the commission is ongoing.

    “The PVC second phase to print 33million voters’ cards has been awarded and it is ongoing.

    “INEC has employed the services of an Independent Card Assessor to confirm that card quality meets specifications.”

    When a stakeholder raised, the ICT Director said: “The PVC has ten years durability and it can be used for electronic identification and authentication of voters during general elections.”

     

  • Farmers urged to register for GES project

    Farmers urged to register for GES project

    The Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Mrs. Olvadi Bema Madayi, has urged farmers in the Federal Capital Territory to come out en masse and register in the ongoing Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme data capturing exercise for farmers.

    Mrs. Madayi said the essence of the exercise is to ensure that real farmers both subsistence and commercial farmers have direct access to farming inputs like fertilisers, improved seeds and seedlings, implements and modern farming information techniques.

    She emphasised that the exercise will equally help the secretariat to adequately come out with effective, comprehensive and workable plans for the distribution of these farming inputs for the benefit of the farmers.

    “To key into the drive by the Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda to transform agriculture into a commercial venture which will lead to economic empowerment of the farmers, there is need to capture a comprehensive data of farmers and farming families residing in the territory so as to take adequate care of them,” Madayi stressed.

    The secretary called on the traditional rulers and chiefs across the territory to sensitise their subjects to turn out in large numbers and register in their various wards as those not captured may find it difficult accessing farm inputs during farming season.

    She, however, expressed her satisfaction on the level of cooperation so far received from FCT farmers ever since she became the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat.

    The secretary also used the occasion to thank the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed and FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, as well as the members of the National Assembly and staff of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat for their support and presence during her recent installation as the Tikulti Bachama Kingdom by His Majesty, Hama Bachama, Homum Honest Stephen (Kwire Mana Kpafrato11) in Lamurde in Adamawa State.

    Recall that the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme registration exercise is targeted at capturing data of about 80,000 to 100,000 farmers before the closing date. So far, about 53,400 farmers have been registered in various wards across the six area councils.

  • ‘We didn’t pay INEC N4m to revise register’

    The Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) has denied paying N4million to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the revision of the voters’ register.

    EDSIEC Chairman Solomon Ogoh, who described the reports as fictitious and false, said INEC did not demand money before releasing the voters’ register for the April 20 local government elections.

    Solomon said what was published was politicians’ reaction and not from the electoral body.

    He said: “EDSIEC and INEC are brothers and we are still operating as brothers and even as we are now, INEC is going to train our staff for the election.

    “Certain things which they have and we don’t have, they are going to give to us to conduct our election.

    “Since our inception, we have had a harmonious working relationship with INEC and the various parties.

    “We don’t belong to any party. I don’t belong to any party and my colleagues don’t belong to any party. So we are all working as a very big family.

    “So, if there are occasions of very minor misunderstanding, we solve them on our own, so, there is nothing that connects us with political disagreement or confrontation. None exists.”

     

  • ‘INEC, under legal duty to register APC’

    As the intrigues surrounding the registration of the mega party, All Progressives Congress (APC), continue, a legal expert, Dr Sonny Ajala, has warned that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is under legal duty to register the party as quickly as possible.

    Ajala gave the advise even as a member of the Board of Trustees of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Dr. Francis Egu, said there are no obstacles on the way of APC.

    Assessing the issues that have manifested in the registration saga in an interview with The Nation, Ajala said, “The tussle to appropriate the acronym APC is consistent with the nature, antics and intrigues of the inherent struggle in politics to control, dominate and perhaps undermine the efforts of the opponent. For INEC as a statutory body, they have the enviable option to isolate the politics of name/acronym appropriation from clear legal requirement for registration of a political association. Once INEC discharges that statutory duty, which I have no doubt they will do creditably, the intrigues and subterfuge to appropriate the acronym ‘APC’ will be laid to rest.

    “In other words, INEC is under a legal duty to register the political association that first satisfies the requirements of the extant Electoral Act for the registration of a political association.”

    Reacting to the registration saga, Dr Egu, told The Nation that currently, the progressives have no reason to fear that the merger party, APC, would not be registered. “There is no obstacle on our way. We have no reason to panic because we have satisfied all the requirements. That being the case, INEC can not deny us registration.”

    Asked if the mega party has any alternative arrangement if INEC eventually insists on change of name, Egu, who refused to spell out the alternative option open to the party, said, “Of course, there is always a plan B in any reasonable plan. But in this case, and for now, we are certain to be registered because we have satisfied the requirements.”

     

  • Ondo ACN decries ‘injection’ of fake names in voter’s register

    •Group: Mimiko hasn’t fulfilled his promises

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State yesterday expressed surprise at the revelation that over 164,072 strange names were injected into the voter’s register that was used to conduct the October 20, 2012, governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The revelation was made by computer analysts presented to the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital, by ACN and its candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi Agbede, ACN said the magnitude of the electoral fraud allegedly committed by the Labour Party (LP) with the “help” of INEC shows LP’s desperation to cling to power at all costs.

    It said: “The revelation by expert witnesses that 164,072 names were injected into the voter’s register has finally laid to rest the controversy surrounding how the voter’s registration of 1.5 million people by INEC in 2011 became over 1.6 million people during the October 2012 governorship election.

    “The whole world can now see that the much touted popularity of the LP and its leaders in Ondo is a ruse.”

    Also yesterday, a group, the Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership (MGGEL), said the inauguration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko is temporary.

    In a statement by its State Coordinator, Mr. Kehinde Bello, MGGEL urged the Mimiko administration to reflect on its promises in 2009 and see how much it has failed the people.

    It said the governor’s promise to create job opportunities has become a dream.

    MGGEL said even though the administration inherited billions of naira from the Chief Olusegun Agagu administration, it has not executed meaningful projects.

    It said the Arigidi Tomato Paste Industry, Okeluse Cement Factory, the Olokola Free-Trade Zone and multi-billion naira water projects, which could have created jobs for youths, were abandoned.

     

     

  • Expert: 167,042 names injected into Ondo Voter’s Register

    Expert: 167,042 names injected into Ondo Voter’s Register

    An expert in computer analysis,Mr. Sunday Afolayan, yesterday told the Ondo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure, the state capital, how the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) “injected” 164,072 names into the voter’s register.

    Afolayan told the three-man panel that in some local governments and wards, there were irregularities.

    The expert, who was led in evidence by the senior counsel of the petitioners (the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and its candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN)), Mr. Akin Olujimi (SAN), said there were 27 irregularities in Unit 11, Ward Seven in Ondo West Local Government Area.

    He said there were multiple entries of the names of voters in the register compared to the 2011 voter’s register.

    Afolayan said for example, Oyetibo Dupe, whose name appeared in the voter’s register in Ondo West Local Government, was listed twice in the 2011 voter’s register and three times in the 2012 voter’s register.

    He said Akintemi Ajoke Eunice was listed twice in the 2012 voter’s register but listed once in the 2011 register.

    Afolayan said the 2012 voter’s register is arranged in alphabetical order, starting with surname.

    He said the photo report he analysed revealed that in Ondo West Local Government with Code 16 – Ward Seven, Unit 011 – there are cases where alphabet B came before A.

    The expert referred to paragraph seven of the report, pointing out that Siko Oluwaloye’s name and occupation listed as fishing and farming appeared four times in the register.

    Afolayan was cross examined by the respondents’ lawyer, led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN) and Oluwole Osaze Uzzi.

    He said the magnitude of evidence gathered in his opinion conclusively proved that there was gross and deliberate injection of voter’s data into the register used for the October 20, 2012 governorship election.

    The expert said 102,472 entries, which were not in the 2011 voter’s register, were injected into the 2012 register .

    He said 50,188 multiple entries were injected into the 2012 register and they were single entries in the 2011 voter’s register.

    Afolayan said 11,412 multiple entries were found in the 2012 voter’s register and none of such entries existed in the 2011 register.

    Afolayan said his analysis showed that 164,072 names were injected into the 2012 register.

    The motion moved by the ACN’s counsel to allow the expert demostrate his report electronically was struck out by the tribunal on the ground that it was not in the ACN’s prayer.

    Other witnesses that testified for ACN and Akeredolu include ACN State Secretary Mr. Adegboyega Adedipe, who said there was a crisis at his polling unit before he was accredited.

    As at the time of filing this report, the tribunal was still in session, receiving documents from INEC.