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Poor Funding Threatens INEC Operations …As N2bn Staff Pension Trapped In NICON – Jega
The 2012 budgetary allocation to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is inadequate for preparations toward the 2015 elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, said on Wednesday.
Jega made this known to the Senate Committee on INEC in Abuja during an official visit to INEC’s headquarters.
“Where we are having the most challenging issue is the slashing of the budget proposal by 40 per cent, as barely 60 per cent of the budget is appropriated.
“This has put INEC in a very serious constraint and pressure in terms of being able to do some essential and urgent jobs between now and 2015.”
Jega said INEC had only 600 permanent structures in 774 local government areas of the country, adding that these permanent structures were being renovated without being furnished for effective use.
According to him, INEC will be handicapped in the execution of its programme if the situation fails to improve as the provisions in the 2012 budget allows for the renovation of only 67 structures.
He stressed the need for 774 local government areas to have functional offices for conducting proper election, collation of results and adequate security.
Jega recalled that in 2011, the National Assembly gave approval for building 75 offices but noted that only the erection of 10 offices would be covered by the 2012 budgetary allocation.
He expressed regret that the budgetary allocation merely provided for the erection of three houses for Resident Electoral Commissioners houses in 2012.
He said in spite of challenges facing the commission INEC remarkable progress had been recorded under his stewardship.
Responding, the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, expressed concern over the complaint regarding underfunding of the commission.
He said the matter would be given attention if a supplementary budget was forwarded to the lawmakers.
Uba said there was urgent need to work toward ensuring supplementary budget for INEC as Nigerians could not afford any excuses.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, said in Abuja on Wednesday that the commission’s N2 billion pension fund was trapped in NICON Insurance.
Briefing the Senate Committee on INEC during an oversight visit to INEC headquarters, Jega said it had been difficult to retrieve the fund from the corporation.
Jega said that most of the challenges had to do with the old pension scheme, adding that issues relating to it were now in court.
He said the present INEC had not defaulted in paying pensioners their dues, adding that their complaints were redressed without delay.
Jega assured the committee that INEC would continue to intensify dialogue and consultations in ensuring that adequate welfare of its staff and retirees was addressed.
The chairman said he inherited some court judgments involving some of INEC staff, adding that an in-house process for decisive actions had begun.
He referred to the Ekiti election for which some officers were indicted.
“Those whose names were mentioned we have dealt with and those indirectly indicted we have constituted internal enquiry for fair hearing.
“Some have been asked to retire while some were dismissed, this is not for us to advertise because the challenge is for us to cleanse the system.
Jega said INEC had fewer court cases in the 2011 elections than 2007 and added that 99 per cent of the judgments were in INEC’s favour.
According to him, the commission has mapped out strategies towards satisfying the desire and aspiration of Nigerians by 2015.
No fewer than 78 Nigerians rescued from human traffickers in Cote D’Ivoire have arrived in Lagos.
The victims, comprising 73 females, two males, and three babies, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, around 11:00 pm on Saturday.
The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, Binta Bello, received them at the airport.
In her speech, Bello said that the return of the victims reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to the fight against human trafficking.
“This is a momentous occasion a day that marks not only the safe return of our beloved daughters but also a reaffirmation of our unwavering commitment to the fight against human trafficking.
“To the young women and girls who have just returned, we say welcome home.
“You were taken far from the safety and dignity you deserve, but today, you are back on Nigerian soil, and you are not alone. You are home, and this country stands with you.
“Your courage, your survival, and your return symbolise hope for thousands of others who may still be in the shadows.
“And to those who have perpetuated this evil, let today be a reminder that Nigeria will never relent in pursuing justice,” she said.
The NAPTIP boss said that some of those responsible for the heinous trade had been apprehended and would face the full force of the law.
According to her, the agency will profile and chat with the survivors for necessary measures in line with its mandate, which included counseling and skill acquisition training.
“We thank the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for its constant support and political will in the fight against trafficking in persons, the support has been instrumental in enabling NAPTIP to carry out this noble mandate.
“We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to Air Peace Airlines for their generous and patriotic assistance in facilitating the safe return of these victims free of charge.
“Your partnership is a shining example of how the private sector can contribute meaningfully to national efforts.
“To all our local and international partners, thank you. Your collaboration continues to empower us, and today’s success is one we share with all of you,” she said.
Bello urged the public to raise awareness, report suspicious activities, and stand together against the grave violation of human dignity.
Narrating her ordeal, a 24-year-old pregnant victim said that a friend lured her into prostitution.”
“One of my friends told me that she is running a supermarket, that she would love me to come and work and earn like N300,000 a month.
“She said that I should not worry about the transport that she is going to pay for me, which she did.
The victim said that the moment she got there, she discovered that there was no supermarket.
“She said that she paid N3 million for my transport and that I must sleep with men for me to pay her back.
“I told her I cannot, but she threatened to either kill or cut my hair and take it to a herbalist to make me run mad.
“For fear of the unknown, I started sleeping with different men,” she said.
According to her, she is four months pregnant and needs help to take care of herself and her unborn baby.
“When I discovered I was pregnant, she asked me to abort, I told her I cannot because the baby is already big.
“She started mistreating me, hitting me with sticks on my tummy. Sometimes, she sends some men to kick me in my stomach in order to lose the pregnancy.
“When I could no longer bear the torture, I went to report to the police,” she said.
In the same vein, another victim, a 17-year-old girl, said that she met a lady who compelled her into a commercial sex act.
“A lady approached me, she said she would like to take me to Cote d’Ivoire to work in a restaurant and I will be paid 1.5million cfa monthly.
“I and six other girls accepted, she told us not to tell our parents.
“When we got there, she and her gang dumped us in a forest where men came to pick us up for sex,” she said.
The victim said that after undergoing a series of abortions, the lady did a five-year family planning for her.
According to her, some of her colleagues died in the process.
“Some of my colleagues who were picked up for sex never returned. Some were killed and dumped on the road,” she said.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has officially announced the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja last Friday, Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed that the board withheld the results of 39,834 candidates out of the over 1.9 million applicants that sat for the exam.
“A total of 39,834 results remain unreleased. Of these, 1,426 results are under scrutiny and processing,” Oloyede said.
According to the JAMB boss, out of the figure, 96 candidates’ results were withheld over exam malpractices, a decrease from 123 in the previous year.
Oloyede said the Board remained resolute in its commitment to eliminating any form of examination malpractice, adding that 1,957,000 candidates were verified to sit for the exam, while 71,705 were absent.
According to him, 2,157 candidates experienced fingerprint rejections due to suspected registration infractions, a figure, he said, was far above acceptable margins and currently under investigation.
“The 2025 UTME showed the prevalence of some particular types of infractions, which suggests systemic vulnerabilities or gaps in registration and examination administration and/or monitoring.
“The new trends observed were in the Registration and Examination processes and they were mainly in the following categories: Identity Fraud, and Biometric Fraud of Combined Thumbprint of Candidate,” he said.
Other infractions, he said, were impersonation at the point of registration with the active involvement of a few CBT Centres, double registration, and attempted substitution of self by candidates.
Oloyede added that 244 candidates were caught engaging in “WhatsApp runs,” subscribing to rogue groups promising leaked questions.
He said their results had also been withheld to set a stern example.
In some cases, he said, the entire syndicate colluded with CBT centres to register using multiple fingerprints.
According to him, as a result of this, 3,656 candidates with “extraneous fingerprints” have had their results withheld, and some CBT centres implicated will face sanctions.
He identified the centres as Tigh Technologies Limited, Sascon International School, Maitama, Abuja, Wudil Computer Information Technology. Wudil, Kano State and Penta M &Amp; Centre 2, Tambuwal LGA, Sokoto, Sokoto State.
Oloyede added that 80 suspects were being interrogated by the police for their involvement in the examination malpractices and most of them would be prosecuted.
“The Board has identified the presence of extraneous fingers in the registration details of some of these candidates. This raises concerns regarding potential strategies for impersonation.
“A total of 3,656 candidates fall within this category. Consequently, the results of the candidates have been withheld.
Speaking on underage candidates, he explained that following the Ministry of Education’s decision to enforce a minimum age of 16, an exception was granted for “exceptionally gifted” underage students.
The registrar said that of the 41,027 underage candidates who registered, only 467 met the high-performance criteria, with one disqualified due to examination malpractice.
He said that the Board remained committed to providing the necessary support for persons with disabilities aspiring to pursue tertiary education.
He said that for the 2025 UTME, a total of 501 candidates were successfully examined by JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) across 11 centres nationwide.
According to Oloyede, the results are also being released but sadly, one of them was also involved in impersonation.
The registrar also said that due to substandard performance, four centres had been delisted and blacklisted for technical deficiencies.
He listed the centres as: Adventure Associate, Behind Sheshe Supermarket, Kano, Saadatu Rimi College of Education, Zaria.
Others are Soronara Ventures Nigeria Limited Foundation Road, Umudagu Mbieri, Mbaitoli, Imo State and HSS Amazing, Holy Saviour School 30/32, Old Ota Road, Adeleye, Aparadija, Isunba, Lafenwa, Itele, Ogun State.
He, therefore, said that a list of those blacklisted for fraudulent practices would soon be made public with details of their nefarious activities.
Oloyede maintained that despite challenges, the 2025 UTME had been hailed as one of the most successful in recent years.
He reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to a zero-tolerance stance on malpractice and pledged continued innovation to protect the credibility of public examinations.
On how to check the UTME results, Oloyede said: ” To check the 2025 UTME results, candidates should send by text message ‘UTMERESULT’ as one word to 55019 or 66019 using the same phone number they had used to register during the registration process. Result printing will be available later.”
No fewer than 15 pipeline vandals across the Niger Delta region have been convicted, while 100 others are being prosecuted.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this last Friday at a town hall meeting organised by Petroleum Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, a pipeline surveillance contractor, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Ribadu, who was represented by his Special Assistant on Energy, Security and Finance, Amakiri Harry-Young, said his office was working assiduously to protect crude oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta region.
He said those convicted were being held at the Port Harcourt Custodial Centre.
The NSA revealed that a special committee comprising investigative and prosecuting teams had been working round the clock to ensure that pipeline vandals and other offenders face justice.
According to him, the move followed concerns raised during a previous meeting about the arrest and quick release of oil vandals, which often led to further insecurity in the affected communities.
“The President is serious about the 2.5 million barrels, and we are doing everything necessary to reach that goal,” he said.
He added that success would depend on the collective efforts of all stakeholders involved, as the Federal Government was taking strong action against pipeline vandals who threatened national assets and local communities.
In his opening address, the PINL Consultant on Community Relations, Dr Akpos Mezeh, said the firm had recorded major successes in safeguarding the Trans-Niger Pipeline through close collaboration with host communities, security agencies, and other key stakeholders.
Mezeh also stated that PINL had helped reduce crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism to near-zero infractions on the pipeline by investing in community needs, resolving disputes, and restoring the environment.
He pointed out that PINL had also improved crude oil production and restored greater investor confidence, thereby contributing to an increase in national revenue.
The President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof Benjamin Okaba, stressed that Ijaw communities had always supported Nigeria’s unity and economic stability and also taken the lead in the management of pipelines through companies like PINL.
Okaba called on communities to fully support PINL’s operations, stressing that any success recorded in protecting pipelines was also a credit to the Ijaw people.
