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Yiaga Scores INEC’s CVR Exercise In 151 Centres High
Ahead of the 2023 general election, an election observer, Yiaga Africa, yesterday, released a report scoring ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in 151 centres high.
The report made available to newsmen, indicated that there was improvement in the process following the deployment of materials from the first reporting period covering July 26 to August 6, 2021.
The report focused on six states in the six geopolitical zones, which include Adamawa, Anambra, Plateau, Kano, Rivers, Lagos, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the report, Yiaga Africa trained observers and deployed them to the 151 INEC registration centres.
The report, in summary, reads, “With the continuous voter registration (CVR) still ongoing at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Local Government area centres’, Yiaga Africa’s Watching the Vote (WTV) trained observers continued to observe the process in 151 INEC registration centres across the six geo-political zones. This report includes the findings from the observer reports for the period of August 09 to August 27, 2021.
“The findings in this reporting period are based on reports from Yiaga Africa WTV observers reporting from 151 INEC registrations centres across Adamawa, Anambra, Plateau, Kano, Rivers, Lagos, and FCT. Yiaga Africa also received reports from its roving observers from Cross River, Ekiti, Bayelsa and Zamfara states.
“Yiaga Africa observed improvement on deployment from the first reporting period, covering July 26 to August 6. This includes compliance to the commencement time of 9:00 am and keeping centres open until all intending registrants on the queue have been attended to.
“Yiaga Africa commends INEC for bringing the CVR process closer to the people in Anambra state by decentralizing the process to Registration Area/Wards in Anambra State from August 30 to September 5, 2021 ahead of the November 6 Governorship election.
“INEC’s data as of August 30, 2021 indicates that a total of 2,485,770 new registrants completed the online pre-registration. While a total of 569,828 registration has completed both the online and in-person (physical) registration, with Anambra State recording a total of 39,428 completed registration.
“This is reasonable progress. However, there is an opportunity for improvement, because in the five weeks of the commencement of the physical (in-person) CVR exercise, only 23% of those who registered online have concluded their voter registration in the INEC designated centres.
“This also indicates that young people are leveraging the online platform as shown by INEC’s data but are not completing the physical registration. There is, therefore, an ardent need for more citizens’ engagement by INEC and stakeholders in mobilizing intending registrants who have completed the online process to ensure they complete the registration at the INEC CVR centres.”
Meanwhile, Yiaga Africa in the report called on Nigerians to take advantage of the ongoing CVR exercise before 2023, especially youths in Anambra to register ahead of November 6 governorship election.
However, the report pointed out that there was the issue of lack of security presence at the registration centres.
“Yiaga Africa still reports the poor deployment of security personnel to the registration centres as shown in Appendix 1 and the near absence of political parties or their agents during this continuous voters registration exercise.
“Yiaga Africa notes that due to security threats in Gusau, Anka, Shinkafi, Zurmi and Bungudu LGAs in Zamfara State, citizens’ turnout to register was low. In Anambra and other states in the South-East, the confusion around the sit-at-home order on Mondays has also impacted on the exercise”, he pointed.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.