Connect with us

Politics

INEC, transport unions review MoU ahead of polls

Published

on

INEC wants N305bn for 2023 elections

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the road transport unions on Tuesday met to review the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) jointly signed by them for logistics deployment for the 2019 general elections and other polls.

The unions are the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NATO).

The newsmen report that the meeting to review the implementation of the INEC/NURTW/NARTO MoU is to improve on logistics deployment ahead of the Anambra governorship election and the 2023 general elections.

Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Election Operations and Logistics Committee, in his remarks said that the partnership with the two unions was part of efforts to ensure free, fair and credible elections.

Ibeanu, represented by Special Assistant to the INEC Chairman, Prof. Muhammed Kuna, said while INEC had sole responsibility to conduct free, fair and credible elections, it needed the support of other organisations to achieve that.

He recalled that the MoU between INEC and the unions was signed on Dec. 12, 2018 in the run-up to the 2019 general elections and three years down the line there was a need to review it.

Also read: INEC suspends CVR in Bauchi State

“This meeting is organised to review the implementation of this MoU and I believe that all participants here will testify that it has been a landmark in the conduct of elections.

“We need to review what has gone well and what has not gone well and what we can do in order to address what has not gone well, towards the 2023 general elections.”

The Chief Technical Assistant to INEC Chairman, Prof. Bolade Ayila, stressed the need to do the review of the MoU with the best intentions ahead of the Anambra governorship election and the 2023 general polls.

Ayila, presetting the meeting overview, said that the review was necessary to see if Polling Units (PUs) could be opened by 8 a.m. on election day in future elections.

Ayila, while praising the road transport unions partnership with INEC, said there was no way INEC could have effectively deliver elections materials in all the polling units without the partnership of the unions.

“This entire MOU was premised on the fact that we have to conduct elections and we have to move men and materials to our six zonal stores, 36 states and the FCT, to 8,809 Registration Areas (RAs) and to 119,973 Pus on election day.

“We have to transport materials to these places and retrieve them. It requires at least the cooperation of people like you.

“We need more than 80,000 vehicles to be able to do this and INEC does not have that number of vehicles. At the end of the day your support is needed,” he said.

Ayila said that there was the need to review the MoU that would end on Dec. 12, 2022 in the run-up to 2023, to make the elections better.

He said that the review would look into how each party to the MoU played their parts, how efficient and efficient such decisions were.

The NURTW President, Alhaji Tajudeen Baruwa, called on the INEC to extend its insurance cover to the unions’ members and vehicles being deployed for election duties.

Baruwa, represented by the General Secretary, Kabiru Yau, said that one of the challenges the union faced while implementing its MoU with INEC on election days was attacks on its members and vandalism of their vehicles.

“Vehicles were variously vandalised and burnt down in many of the states.

“The absence of any form of insurance cover by INEC for drivers and vehicles under the collaboration left the affected drivers without any form of support and at the mercy of the vehicle owners.

“The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were engaged as presiding officers and were given insurance cover during election but our members were not given such insurance cover.

“In Akwa-Ibom, our vehicles were burnt down and some of our members were killed and there was no insurance cover for them.

“If there was insurance cover, they would have gotten something. We wrote to INEC, they have yet to reply,” he said.

He also appealed to INEC to look into the many cases of vehicle vandalism, especially in Akwa Ibom and Kogi.

This, to him, was with a view to finding adequate compensation for drivers who have lost their lives and or their means of livelihood while in INEC’s service.

Baruwa also stressed the need for INEC to improve on security arraignment for deployed vehicles and their drivers on election days.

He also advised INEC to look into the delay in the release of electoral materials which resulted in drivers working late and without security through the night to lift materials from INEC offices to various points of delivery.

“Inadequate security arrangement for vehicles and drivers resulted in widespread theft of personal effects and exposed our members to undue assaults, attacks and even deaths as was seen in states such as Akwa Ibom and Rivers,” he said.

Other areas INEC needs to look into, according to Baruwa, are sudden postponement of the elections in the wee hours of the election day when drivers were already in the field.

Others were delay in the release of funds by INEC in most states, which inevitably caused delay in the deployment of materials and personnel.

He also decried efforts by some Electoral Officers (Eos) to sideline or short change the unions in some states for their personal gain.

“In future, there should be no handling of cash by Eos. Their hands are already full with sorting electoral materials.

“To reduce time wastage, the Eos should hands off payment of drivers. If they must, payment should be via the state council of the unions a day ahead of deployment,” be said.

Baruwa, however, said that generally, reports from the various state council of the unions revealed that the logistics delivery exercise was a great success, notwithstanding the various hiccups.

In his remarks, the Country Representative, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Dr Daniel Mann, commended INEC and the unions for their collaboration.

He said that the review meeting was important in the common interest of Nigeria for credible future elections, especially 2023 polls.

 

Latest News

NAGAFF Vows to Stop Kwankwaso from Taking Over NNPP

Published

on

NNPP inaugurates 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Aniebonam remains BoT Chairman

…Votes N150m take off professional fees for lawyers to begin litigation warfare!

Members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) will vehemently resist the taking over of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) by the group noted to be loyal to Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

It would be recalled that the NNPP was originally founded by the National Association of Government-Approved Freight Forwarders NAGAFF, largely to provide a credible platform for maritime industry stakeholders to make a national impact within the nation’s political space.

It. would also be recalled that the former Governor of Kano, Senator Kwankwaso latched on the NNPP, after his effort to run as the flag bearer of another political party was dimmed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who emerged as the PDP presidential candidate.

NNPP inaugurates 2023 Presidential Campaign Council, Aniebonam remains BoT Chairman

Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Presently, a statement issued by the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Clement Iwegbuna, lamented that what started as a child’s play is becoming a reality with the body language and actions of Senator Kwankwaso to highjack NNPP from the original owners, the members of  NAGAFF.

In a swift move, the president of NAGAFF, leading the pack of resourceful young freight forwarders said the original are poised to match money for money and contact for contact to retrieve NNPP from the people tagged ungrateful.

The statement revealed that the sum of N150,000,000 has been contributed as a take-off professional fee for the lawyers to take on the serial litigations upcoming.

NAGAFF accused Kwankwaso of court abuse with the institution of a court case involving INEC at Kano State High Court. “And so what does it take someone who held the position of minister of defence and member of the national assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to know that it is out of jurisdiction to do so.

NNPP is a national party and INEC is a federal commission. “Let Nigerians be told that there is a new order in Nigeria judiciary at the moment. If Senator Kwankwaso likes let him, Elder Buba Galadima and all of them who are the former members of the National Working Committee led by Alhaji Abbah Kawu who was alleged not to be able to write a statement at the state police command, Abuja when he reported a case against Mr Phillip Oyana the Zonal Secretary North Central of New Nigeria Peoples Party.

“Our young, vibrant and informed lawyers shall meet him and his cohorts in court. Once again we hold no malice against any person. All members of NNPP and NAGAFF are children of God and always ready to show love to all manner of people who may come our way,” the statement further said.

The statement directed and appealed to all members of NAGAFF and NNPP to keep the peace of the society and be law abiding and respectful to the constitution of Nigeria.

“Regret to note that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso had avoidably prided himself to have brought NNPP to relevance and recognition. Tell the American marine that trash for the fact that Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso forgot to note that NNPP is as old as People’s Democratic Party of Nigeria spanning over 24 years in existence. He joined less than 2yrs ago.

“We consider Senator Kwankwaso as someone who is avoidably arrogant and proud for no good reasons. This is because NNPP provided him the opportunity to contest the Presidency of Nigeria 2023 with great men like the current president of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (PDP) and Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party

“Let it be on record that if NNPP were not winning elections for the period under review it would have been deregistered like the one he facilitated which was called Alliance National Party. As a matter of fact, the current headquarters of NNPP in Abuja is the same office used by the defunct Alliance National  Party whose chairman was one Moshood.

“We also know that the current executive Gov of Kano Alhaji Abbah Kabir who was shortchanged in the previous elections took advantage of us as children of God to be protected and today those evil men could not stop him from becoming the Gov of Kano State.

“Therefore senator RABIU MUSA Kwankwaso should be taught the principles of humility and gratefulness to people who have been nice to him.

“In all of these, he may wish to distance himself from elder Buba Galadima if he wants to make headway in politics. The former President, Gen. Buhari did realise and distanced himself to combine with Asiwaju B. A. Tinubu, the grand master to become the President of Nigeria.,” advised.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Reps. Summon Minister, Perm.Sec. Over $300m Antimalarial Funds

Published

on

Following perceived hanky panky, the House of Representatives Committee on Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis has summoned the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof.Mohammed Pate, over alleged misappropriation of 300 million dollars anti-malaria funds.

“The Committee has resolved that the Permanent Secretary be arrested if she failed to honour the summons, having failed to appear three times”, Rep. Amobi Ogah, the Chairman of the Committee who read the resolutions in Abuja on Tuesday, stressed.

Ogah expressed displeasure over the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry at the resumed sitting of the committee on Tuesday.

“Malaria is now an epidemic in Nigeria. The government has always wanted to help the people but most times the civil servants are our problem.

“This money has been made available since 2021. We have been inviting the Permanent Secretary. This is the third time we are inviting her to come and explain to us what has happened.

“Have they used the money? If they have not used the money, where is the money? It is a matter of simple explanation. But they have been running away, calling all manner of people to talk to us,” he said

Continue Reading

Latest News

We Didn’t Pad Budget -Adaramodu

Published

on

…Senate explains alleged N3trn 2024 budget padding

Senate on Tuesday explained that the N3trillion alleged to be padded in the 2024 budget was actually statutory transfers to first-line charge agencies of government not domiciled in the ministries.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity Sen.Yemi Adaramodu gave the explanation while speaking with journalists on the suspension of Sen. Abdul Ningi over alleged padding of the 2024 budget.

Adaramodu said the 10th Senate needed to be treasured as a pillar of democracy and would only do what would promote national interest

He said there was nothing like budget padding, saying that the false narrative on N3trillion padding was a demonstration of the error of arithmetic and innocence of procedure by the protagonists of budget padding.

“The N3 trillion is for statutory transfers of government agencies on the first lines charges.”

He listed the agencies to include Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC)Public Complaints Commission, National Judicial Council, North East Development(NEDC), Commission Niger -Delta Development Commission Commission(NDDC) among others.

$22.7bn: Senate announces new financier of Kaduna-Kano rail modernisation

The Senate

He also dismissed the issue of the provision of N500 million as constituency funds to senators, describing the allegation as a fairy tale.

He urged journalists to study the 2024 budget to investigate allocations to the National Assembly.

He said the issue of budget padding was a negative connotation and a serious crime in budgeting, hence senate didn’t take it lightly.

“It is a matter of integrity, The issue of budget has been put to rest as the protagonist of the budget padding was called to substantiate and they could not prove it but the allegations can not just go without being attended to.

“The Appropriation Act is a public document and when it was done,it was done in the public glare and it was N28.77 trillion and so for some to say N25 trillion was what was approved is scary.

“Statutory transfers for agencies on first line charges, that are not domiciled in the Ministries was what Ningi said was padded, that the allocation can not be traced.”

He reiterated that the N3trillion was not padded, was not missing, but was for agencies of government that were placed on first-line charge.

He also said the allegation that a section of the country was allocated more funds than other regions was not put in the right perspective, saying that allocations were done sectorally.

The Senate image maker said the integrity of the National Assembly was in question, hence the matter was treated with the seriousness it deserved.

Continue Reading

Editor’s Pick

Politics