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2019: INEC Proposes N9bn For Hazard Allowance …To Suspend Voter Registration 60 Days To Election
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has earmarked N9 billion in the 2018 budget estimates of the commission for hazard and other allowances of staff members on the field.
Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the disclosure on Wednesday while defending the 2018 budget estimates of the electoral body before the Senate Committee on INEC.
He explained that the total budgetary figure of the commission for the 2019 general election was still being compiled.
According to him, the exact amount of money the 2019 general election will cost the commission across the 119,999 polling units in the country can only be arrived at, after the passage of Electoral Act.
“It is provisions of the amendment to 2010 Electoral Act after passage by the National Assembly that will show the commission how elections at primary level by the political parties would be conducted.
“And monetary cost that would entail on the part of INEC, let alone the general elections”, he said.
Meanwhile, the Senate Committee on INEC also screened additional eight nominees as Resident Electoral Commissioners.
Those screened and cleared were; Dr Usman Ajidagba from Kwara, Baba Yusuf Abba, Borno, Segun Agbaje from Ekiti .
Others are: Yahaya Bello, Nasarawa and Mohammed Ibrahim from Gombe.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) would be temporarily suspended 60 days to the commencement of the 2019 general elections.
The commission in a statement issued last Wednesday in Abuja by Solomon Soyebi, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said the exercise would be suspended due to a change in electoral law.
Soyebi disclosed that so far over four million Nigerians had been registered across the country, in the exercise that began on April 27, 2017.
“The nationwide CVR is to afford all eligible Nigerians, 18 years and above, who did not register in the previous exercise, an opportunity to do so.
“So far over four million have registered across the country.
“The commission wishes to assure all eligible Nigerians that the CVR exercise is designed to continue indefinitely as envisaged by the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).
“However, as provided for in Section 9 (5) of the Electoral Act (as amended), the CVR will be temporarily suspended 60 days to the commencement of the next General Elections scheduled for February 2019.
“The exercise will resume after the conclusion of the elections.
“The Commission encourages all eligible Nigerians to register at our offices in all local government headquarters and other officially designated areas across the country between 9am and 3pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.”
Soyebi said that full information about the exercise could be obtained at INEC state offices.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.