…As UN set to launch $30m peace building fund for Somalia***
ECOWAS has dispatched 200 election observers across the six
geopolitical zones of the country ahead of tomorrow’s presidential and national
assembly elections.
The ECOWAS Election Observation Mission to Nigeria indicated
this on Thursday in Abuja.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and
Security, Gen. Francis Behanzin, noted that a pre-election fact-finding mission
had been to Nigeria in November 2018 ahead of the elections.
Behanzin explained that the fact-finding mission included high-level
representatives of the ECOWAS Commission who met with relevant stakeholders in
the electoral process and urged them to support peaceful and credible
elections.
“Based on the recommendations of the pre-election
fact-finding mission a five-member core team of Long-Term Observers were
deployed on Jan. 13 to observe the phases of the electoral process leading up
to the elections.
“This core team was joined by additional 27 Long Term
Observers from Jan. 26.
“In furtherance of our commitment to the process, a total of
200 Short-Term Observers are ready to be deployed in all the six geopolitical
zones in the country to support the long term mission on the Election Day,” he
said.
The commissioner encouraged observers to be attentive,
strictly follow the observation codes and guidelines and give their full
commitment to the mission.
The Head of the mission, former Liberian President, Ellen
Johnson-Sirleaf, tasked observers to be proactive in the discharge of their
duties.
Johnson-Sirleaf said their commitment would contribute to
building the confidence and trust of the electorate in the democratic process
in Nigeria and the region.
She added that the outcome of the mission would undoubtedly
serve as a yardstick to measure the credibility of the elections.
“It is in this spirit that we should all see this onerous
task as very important which should be diligently and meticulously done without
compromise.”
She also urged political parties and leaders to “conduct
themselves in a manner that contributes to a peaceful, free, fair, credible and
transparent election, as has been done previously in the country”.
“In the case of Nigeria, the current election is being held
on the heels of nagging security challenges and tense political environment.
“We are, however, confident that Nigeria’s strength and
resilience, as well as with the support of friends, will go through this
process in the most successful manner.
“We should remain mindful of the fact that the onus to hold
peaceful, free and fair elections rests with the Nigerian people themselves,”
she said.
Meanwhile, the UN will next week launch a peace building
fund (PBF) worth 30 million dollars, to help support the country’s peace
building efforts.
The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) said on
Thursday that a joint launch of the new PBF portfolio would be held to
highlight the interlinkages between the new projects.
The projects will also address Somalia’s peace building
priorities as outlined in the peace building priority plan, the national
development plan, the national stabilisation strategy, the Wadajir Framework,
and the national reconciliation framework.
“The current portfolio consists of nine active projects
valued at 30 million dollars – a sign of the PBF’s increasing focus on Somalia
in support of the country’s peace building and state-building efforts,” UNSOM
said in a statement ahead of the launch.
It said the UN secretary-general’s PBF has supported
Somalia’s peace building process since 2009.
The statement added that investments to date amount to about
45 million dollars, of which a record level of 14 million dollars was allocated
to five new projects in 2018.