INEC to recruit 1m ad-hoc staff for 2019

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be hiring about one million ad hoc staff for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

The chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmud Yakubu stated this on Wednesday while briefing members of the Senate committee on INEC.

Yakubu assured Nigerians that the major the electronic smart card readers will be fully deployed for the elections, stressing that enough hands would be trained on the effective use of the device.

According to him, about 700 ad hoc staff were engaged for the 2015 general elections.

He said: “The projected increase in the number of ad- hoc staff to be engaged in the elections by the commission arose from the need to make provisions for adequate manpower for the exercise on a general template and specifically to take care of peculiar needs for that purpose in some polling units across the federation”. Assuring the lawmakers of better and effective use of the card readers, Prof Yabuku said: “Controversies and challenges raised by the Smart Card Readers in the 2015 elections were over magnified because the problem was not technological on the part of the device but attitudinal on the part of  the users due to lack of adequate training.
“Thus, because the problem is more of attitudinal than technological defects, solid steps are being taken by the commission to bring about a robust interface between the machine and those to use them in terms of practical training before the elections”.

In his remarks, the Senate Committee Chairman on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif said the interactive session with INEC would be a continuous exercise before the 2019 general elections

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Reps urge FG to procure arms for FRSC

 

Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday said that in a bid to effectively carry out their responsibilities of saving lives, officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) should bear arms.
The Green Chamber noted the increasing cases of violent attacks, harassment and intimidation of personnel and offices of the FRSC by highly placed individuals, motorists and hoodlums across the country, particularly in Zamfara, Jigawa, Abia and the Lagos States.
The members noted that from 2015 to date, there have been 149 cases of attacks on personnel and 201 cases of damage to properties and equipment of the Commission.
They, therefore, urged the Federal Government to facilitate the procurement of arms and ammunition for officers of the FRSC.
The resolution of the House was sequel to the passage of a motion by Hon. Solomon Maren titled: “Need to Curb Incessant Attacks on Personnel of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC)”.
Maren while moving the motion noted that despite Section 19 of the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007 which stipulates that personnel of the Commission who are exposed to high risk in the enforcement of the provisions of this Act, shall have same powers, authorities and privileges, including power to bear arms, as are granted by law to members of the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Government has not provided Road Safety officers with arms to enable them protect themselves in the course of performing their duties.
He expressed concern that the United Nation’s Declaration on Reduction of Road Accidents by fifty (50) percent by year 2020 may not be achieved by Nigeria if the attacks are not urgently curbed.
The lawmaker said in order to avoid the attacks, Road Safety officers stay off the roads, particularly at night and that motorists are taking advantage of the situation to breach traffic regulations, which often lead to accidents.
“Officers sometimes discover offensive weapons in vehicles during routine operations on highways but are incapable of challenging occupants of such vehicles as they lack the capacity to protect themselves from any attack that could arise,” he said.
When he Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara called for a vote on the motion, it was passed without dissent.
The House subsequently mandated the Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission to investigate cases of attacks on personnel of the FRSC and also ensure implementation of the resolution to armed the officials.
The committee is to report back within four weeks for further legislative action.


 

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Buhari to governors: no excuse on workers’ pay

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•  There are Nigerians who haven’t been paid for six months, says President
• Governors got yesterday a subtle rebuke from the President.
• He urged them to ensure payment of salaries to workers and pension to retirees.

The Federal Government has released N760.17 billion in two tranches of the Paris Club loan refund to states for outstanding salaries and pensions but some governors are believed to have spent the cash on other things.
President Muhammadu Buhari told traditional rulers at a meeting in Abuja that he was “living with the problems of this country day-by-day, and mostly those of the ordinary people”.
“There are Nigerians that haven’t been paid for six months; there are Nigerians that have not been paid their retirement benefits for years.
“I’m appealing to the governors (that was why we voted money; we borrowed money), please make sure anybody under you, pay them because most of them depend on that salary to pay rent, school fees,’’ he said.
He stressed that the mismanagement of the national revenue over the years was responsible for the economic challenges facing the nation.
Buhari promised to pursue programmes and projects that would better the lot of Nigerians. Nigeria, he said, should use its huge population to advantage.
The President spoke also on security, saying all hands were on deck to secure the country.
On unity, he said: “We know our limitations, we have to continue to strengthen our constitution, to strengthen the resolve of our people to live together, work together.
On agriculture and this year’s planting season, Buhari said: “We are lucky this year than last year and this year the rainy season is good. If it were not good I must confide in you that I was considering which country to run to.
“But God answered the prayers of many Nigerians. The rainy season last year was good and this year, with the report I’m getting, it is good. We thank God for that; otherwise, there would have been a lot of problems in this country.”
Members of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria were led to the meeting by Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar III, who thanked God for bringing the President back in sound health. He urged the President to tighten his belt and take on the mantle of leadership.
He said with a monarch from each of the gropolitical zone assuring Buhari of their support, the President should take their comments as honest and the tonic he needed to work hard for the nation.
He said: “We will continue to preach peace and stability, justice, transparency and accountability and anti-corruption.”
One traditional ruler each from the six goe-political zones spoke at the meeting.
For the Southwest, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwunsi, thanked God for the President’s safe return and for restoring him to good  health. Buhari was away in London for medical reasons. He spent 103 days.
He said: “From the Southwest, we thank God for your life and we pledge  to support you from our communities because we are closer to our people. We will continue to preach to our people that we should continue to foster peace in our country. We will continue to caution our youths against hate speeches.
“We cannot leave the development of the country all to the government but we have to work hand in hand. We assure you that we will support all your initiatives.”
For the Northwest the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said the traditional rulers identified with Buhari’s commitment to national security.
For the Southsouth, the Jaja of Opobo said: “We express our commitment to your programmes.
“We know there is tension here and there, but as traditional rulers, we don’t eat politics. The economy has to be fixed. Coming from the region that produces the mainstay of the economy, even though the country will soon diversify the economy, before we diversify let’s protect the one that we still have.
“We are pleased to work for peace and stability of the region so that we can all see the benefits of the commodity.”
For Northcentral, the Gbom Gwom Jos, Jacob Buba Gyang, also thanked God for  bringing the President back to celebrate Sallah with fellow Nigerians.
He said: “The issues of health and security are not issues to play politics with, but issues in which we should put heads together so that the country can progress.
“We commend your efforts on security and agriculture.
“Few days ago, just when we thought peace had returned to the plateau up, it was truncated with the attack on Ancha village in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, leading to 20 deaths.”
Gyang praised the President for ordering the security agencies to fish out those responsible for the attacks.
Speaking for the Southeast, South East Traditional Council Chairman Eberechi Dick  said: “Our hearts are full of joy that you are back. You shook our hands when you came in and that shows you believe in one Nigeria. We prayed for you and you are back. We prayed for you because your agenda for Nigeria is good.
“As your children, when we cry, it is for you to ask us to stop crying, that you will fix whatever is making us cry like the bad roads.”
Speaking for the Northeast, the Lamido Adamawa, said Nigerians were happy to have the President back to the country hale and hearty.
“God brought you back to Nigeria and we are all very happy. We will continue to pray for God to strengthen you more and give you the courage to continue to do more for the country,” he said.

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Attack me, not Igbo, Sultan to northern youths

Sokoto – Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar has said that if anyone plans to attack the Igbo who are resident in the northern part of the country, such attack should be directed at him, first.

The Sultan said this when the world Igbo union leader, Dr. Mishack Nnanta, accompanied by resident Igbo chiefs, paid sallah homage to him at his palace. “If anybody or group of persons plans negative attack on Igbo, he or they should attack me first because I am against the so-called ultimatum issued by the Arewa youths that Igbo should leave the north,” he said.
Abubakar observed that “restructuring” to his understanding does not mean galvanizing or dividing Nigeria, but making “adjustments here and there for equal accommodation of all and sundry in Nigeria for equity and fair play religiously, socially and economically.” He further observed that the agitation by some people for disintegration “cannot solve any of the problems facing the country” and that “dividing it into many parts is not the solution for the married of problems bedevilling the nation because this will lead to towns and villages clamouring to become independent.” He suggested that the way forward was a round-table dialogue and not carrying arms which would never lead to peace. Agreeing that there were genuine complaints that border on marginalisation, the Sultan however said that the way out was peaceful resolution. He blamed the nation’s politicians for most of the problems faced by Nigerians saying. “They come to you during campaigns, promise you heaven in your house, air conditions on all roads and milk entering your mouth hourly without any effort from you. As soon as they win and go to Abuja, they start planning comfort for themselves while those from the rural areas move to state capitals, abandoning those who voted them,” he lamented.‎ Nnanta earlier said that Igbo were peace-loving Nigerians whose stalk-in-trading was engaging in ‎their businesses. “Igbo cannot leave peacefully in isolation from Nigeria. They should work towards ensuring proper integration, reconstruction as promised by Gen. Yakubu Gowon. They may agitate for creation of more states in the South-East to meet up with other geopolitical zones of the country,” he said.

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