By Angela Atabo

Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room on Thursday called for additional reforms and legal framework for the conduct of elections in Nigeria.

Ene Obi, Convener of the coalition said this at the Situation Room’s Post Election meeting on the final report of the 2023 General Elections with support from United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in Abuja on Thursday.

Obi said that the call was became necessary because of the coalition’s observation and analysis of the 2023 General Elections.

“Contrary to expectations, the 2023 general election was marred by very poor organisation, severe logistical and operational failure, lack of essential electoral transparency, substantial disruption of voting, and several incidents of violence.

“In addition, there was very poor communication from INEC on challenges with its processes on election day.

“In the light of these shortcomings, the Situation Room believes that additional reforms and improvements are required to ensure that the quality of future election in Nigeria does not further decline.

“It will also help to ensure that public confidence in the capacity of INEC to conduct elections is restored, while trust in the credibility of elections is re-established,” she said.

Obi added: “Since voter information no longer resides in the Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs), in future election, INEC should consider abolishing the use of PVCs and introduce the use of alternative means of identification.

“Identifications such as National Identity Card, International Passport, or Drivers’ License can be used to further reduce the cost of election in Nigeria.”

She said the Situation Room made some recommendations to improve the election management and the electoral process.

She stressed for the need for the Constitution to be amended to eliminate the position of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) under the control and direction of the Commission through the appointments of State Directors of Elections to replace RECs.

She said that the suggestion by the Justice Uwais Committee for the unbundling of INEC should be considered and implemented without delay.

Obi added that an effective legal framework should be formulated for the establishment of Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal, Political Parties Registration and Regulation Commission, and an agency to handle constituency delimitation.

She said that independent candidacy and voting by Nigerians in Diaspora should be considered in conformity with international principles for democratic elections.

“As a practice, INEC should institute a process of post-election audit to enable the Commission understand and account for lapses during elections, and to undertake measures to prevent future occurrence of the lapses.

“An audit to provide to the public information on why the INEC Results Viewing (IReV) Portal malfunctioned, despite assurances of its robustness.”

Obi called on the National Assembly to be more vigorous in undertaking its oversight role over INEC and the electoral process and be more forthright and dispassionate in performing its role of confirming appointees to positions in INEC.

She called on INEC to make thorough planning a key priority and ensure the full implementation of and strict adherence to its Strategic Plan, Election Project Plan and Election Management System.

Obi said machinery should be put in place for Election Day workers such as ad hoc staff, INEC staff, security officials and observers to vote.

She suggested that the task of compiling and managing the national register of voters should be entrusted with the National Population Commission which should be given the responsibility of extracting the national voters’ register from its population database .

Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, said that in few week’s time the commission would begin a review of the 2023 elections.

Okoye commended the CSOs for their contribution to the electoral process and urged them to remain non partisan in their work because democracy can grow and flourish without their support.

He however, expressed worry that most CSOs dwelt on the fact that the result portal did not function well instead of praising other aspects that the commission got right.

He said that it was a fact that there were a lot of positives that arose from the conduct of the 2023 general elections, saying the commission would harvest and consolidate on all those positives and move ahead toward the next general elections.

“There were also challenges that came with it ,so based on those challenges, the Commission will receive reports from both domestic and international election observers and then if there are changes that we have to carry out administratively ,the commission will carry out all those changes.

” If there are also changes that require both legal and constitutional review or reforms , the Commission will also pursue some of these are legal and constitutional reforms,” he said.

” I want to say that democracy is a work in progress, democracy is not a finished product ,so we have to keep on working in order to make sure that we get our electoral process and democracy to the positions we want it to be,” he said.

Okoye called on the CSOs to acquaint themselves with the Electoral Act and take the lead in terms of advocacy, and also in terms of enlightenment to curb misinformation and disinformation on the conduct of election.

Dr Mathew Ayibakuro,Governance Adviser ,FCDO,British High Commissioner, commended the CSOs for strengthening democracy in Nigeria and Africa.

“We look forward to continuing this partnership with other broad stakeholders significantly to ensure that we are able to address some of the challenges for the 2023 elections.”(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ali Baba-Inuwa

By Jessica Dogo

The Uniccon Group of Companies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RICHAT Partners, a Mauritania organisation to deepen digital literacy and other tech interventions in Mauritania.

The General Manager of Uniccon Group, Mr Kehinde Ake, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Ake said that the partnership was signed at the just concluded Gitex event, held at Marrakech, Morocco.

He said that the MoU would see the Nigerian tech giant use its innovations to push the inclusion of the partner country and scale digital literacy among its citizens.

The Chairman of UNICCON Group, Dr Chuks Ekwueme, expressed optimism and looked forward to a rewarding partnership that would facilitate Africa’s participation in the offerings of emerging technologies.

“We are proud to have a partner in RICHAT to scale the level of digital literacy in Mauritania.

“I have always said that Omeife- Africa’s first humanoid robot and its generative AI is Nigerian-originated but they are technologies for Africa.

“I am happy that the technologies are making inroads into parts of Africa,” he said.

Mr Abdel Aziz, Chief Executive Officer of RICHAT, said that the relationship established was for both organisations to impact operations in Mauritania.

Aziz said RICHAT exists to support the dual digital and energy transitions, resulting in the multiplication of projects at all levels of decision-making in the country.

He thanked the Uniccon group and assured of good relationship moving forward.

UNICCON Group is an indigenous Nigerian tech company enabling individuals, businesses, corporates, and governments to improve productivity through novel tech innovations. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Deborah Coker

The management of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Uhogua, near Benin, has appealed for sponsorship from well-meaning Nigerians to help some IDPs achieve their educational dreams.

Pastor Solomon Folorunsho, Coordinator of the camp, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Folorunsho said that the appeal became necessary, following the large number of IDPs in tertiary institutions, currently sponsored by the camp management.

He explained that the IDPs were in various stages of their primary and secondary educations before insecurity forced them out of their ancestral homes and they sought refuge in the camp.

He said that in view of this, the camp could not just fold its hands and allow their educational dreams and ambition to die.

“We know the value of education, and we saw how traumatized they were when they got here.

“Several of them felt that all hope was lost, but then we realised that more than 90 per cent of them were students in various stages of primary and secondary schools.

“So, to rekindle their hope, give them a sense of belonging and ensure that they are useful to themselves and the society in future, we decided they must continue with their educational dreams and pursuit even while here.

“And, this is because, we know that the importance of education cannot be over-emphasised, and to the glory of God, they have been doing us very proud in the various external examinations they take,” he said.

Folorunsho disclosed that 148 IDPs in the camp sat for the recently-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

He said that of the figure, two scored above 300, while 22 scored between 287 and 250, and 54 between 248 and 200.

He added that while others scored between 199 and 159, four, however, didn’t get their results.

According to him, “you can see why we are appealing for sponsorship for some of our IDPs. This is a large number, even though we know that not all of them will get admission to tertiary institutions.

“Already, we have 158 in various tertiary institutions, and when some of these ones are admitted, the number will further increase, yet we are resolute to ensure that they achieve their educational dreams.

“That is why we are appealing to well-meaning Nigerians, corporate organisations like MTN, Guinness Nigeria, Coca Cola, the Elumelu Foundation, the TY Danjuma Foundation, and Multinational Companies to help us give these IDPs a place of pride through education,” Folorunsho pleaded. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Vincent Obi

By Florence Onuegbu

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Thursday approved the appointment of Mrs Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, as the Secretary to the State Government (SSG).

The Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said in a statement that Gov. Sanwo-Olu also approved the re-appointment of Mr Tayo Ayinde as the Chief of Staff (CoS) and Mr Gboyega Shoyanwo as the Deputy Chief of Staff.

Muri-Okunola said that Salu-Hundeyin, an erudite, experienced barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, had over three decades experience at the Bar.

According to him, she is an astute business, human and economic resources manager who has great passion for excellence.

”Before her present appointment, Barr. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin was a Federal Commissioner, National Population Commission (NPC), a position in which she had served since November 2020,” he said.

The Head of Service said that both Ayinde and Soyannwo were being re-appointed as Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff respectively, having served Gov. Sanwo-Olu’s administration with diligence and great commitment during the first term, from May 2019 to May 2023.

He expressed optimism that the knowledge, experience and capacity of the appointees would put them in good stead to serve diligently.

Muri-Okunola congratulated and urged them to continue the delivery of selfless, effective and efficient service to the people of Lagos State.

”These are the first set of appointments made by Mr Governor during his second term in Office. The appointments take effect from Thursday, June 8, 2023,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

By Rukayat Moisemhe

Chief Economist, Analysts’ Data Services and Resources (ADSR), Dr Afolabi Olowookere, has unveiled a baseline data book (Nigeria in Figures) to aid Nigeria’s planning process and drive socioeconomic growth and development.

Olowookere, during the book launch on Thursday in Lagos, said ‘Nigeria in Figures’ was presented as a reference data book to guide the measurement and assessment of Nigeria’s socioeconomic performance over time.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the event was, “Nigeria’s Socio-Economic Performance since 1999: Lessons for New Policymakers.”

According to the economist, the book provides evidence-based inputs into the discussions, analysis and planning by policymakers, researchers, businesses and other key stakeholders in the country.

He stated that the data book specifically showed the country’s relative performance against selected comparator countries providing detailed sources and description of relevant data.

Olowookere described the data book as a must have for the new government, particularly as the availability of these baseline data would afford Nigeria the opportunity to benchmark itself among top global countries.

“The Nigerian economy is changing and we have a new government that would need the data that scores performance of democracy from 1999 till date to aid its policy planning processes.

“This book presents in a comprehensive manner data at national, regional and state levels and describes the development, challenges and policies of different sectors.

“More often than not, Nigerians complain about the unavailability of data but we have lots of data in different sources such as libraries, bookshelves of many professors among other places,” said Olowookere.

He said he had put together all the data from different places, across different sectors in a single and simple source called Nigeria in Figures (A socioeconomic data book) even though his goal was to have the largest database in Africa.

“The data was collated across different key sectors of the economy and has compared the data from 1999 till date to provide background information aimed at driving socioeconomic growth and development.

“Alongside the data presentation, economic policies, trends, and development across different sectors of the economy are collated into a single source for easy access to provide insights for policymakers,” he said.

In her remarks, Mrs Toyin Sanni, Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Emerging Africa Group, stated that access to such data would help align policies and initiatives that would aid private sector development.

According to Sanni, the private sector, though very dynamic and entrepreneurial, has been crippled by unfavourable policies and environment, which does not give room from planning.

She stressed that henceforth, the private sector should be brought in during policy creation, infrastructural development discussion, among others, for improved economic growth and development.

“Policy environment needs to change, infrastructure needs to be tackled and we need to know the initiatives that would ameliorate the impact of subsidy removal on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

“I am looking forward to some of these savings directed to stimulate MSME growth, healthcare, education, and security not just doling out cash to anybody,” she said.

Dr Chukwuka Onyekwena, Executive Director, Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa(CSEA), emphasised the need to mobilise resources towards education, agriculture and health sectors to promote socioeconomic stability.

He said for Nigeria to fulfil its socioeconomic objectives by 2050, the human capital must be developed by investing in sectors that directly impacted their development.

“This can be achieved by freeing up resources spent on things that are not urgent and channel same to those that impact the citizens directly.

“I suggest there should be expansion of vocational training and Nigeria must develop rural areas via rural infrastructure and ensure agricultural intervention programmes to drive economic growth and development,” he said.

Dr Suleyman Ndanusa, CEO, Global Mandate Consulting, said the data book was a massive and excellent undertaking by the author who has succeeded in creating a data encyclopedia on Nigeria.

He, however, emphasised the need for government to embrace measures that would help earn the trust and build the confidence of Nigerians in its abilities.

He noted that citizens needed to have confidence in the government to do what was fair and right and that trust was essential in a free and democratic environment.

“People are not willing to trust government, and when citizens lack trust, they are less likely to comply with laws and regulations.

“The challenges a country would face when they are building trust include people saying things that foster disunity along religious and tribal sentiments causing insecurity.

“Government needs to fulfil socioeconomic promises to build the trust of the citizens and the top priority area for the new government is good governance and discipline to perform its social contract,” he said.

Prof Olu Ajakaiye, Executive Chairman, African Centre for Shared Development Capacity Building, said Nigeria in Figures offered comprehensive coverage of the key social and economic development indicators.

He stated that it would be particularly useful for policymakers at all levels of government. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Salif Atojoko

By Adebola Adegoke

The Cece Yara Foundation, on Thursday, said it was equipping no fewer than 200 educators and caregivers in Kosofe Local Government in Lagos State with best practices aimed at safeguarding children from abuse.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Cece Yara Foundation was established in 2016 to prevent child sexual abuse, and provide emergency intervention for children who have experienced sexual abuse or who are at risk.

The foundation, a child-centered non-profit organisation, provides psycho-social, legal, and medical support for children through a 24-hour free child telephone helpline (0800 800 8001) and its child-friendly Child Advocacy Centres in Lagos and Abuja.

The foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Detutu Ajibodu, spoke at the opening of a two-day workshop being held in collaboration with Cummins West Africa, in Lagos on Thursday.

Ajibodu explained that the foundation’s gesture became imperative as statistics had shown that one in four girls and one in ten boys would be abused before the age of 18.

She said the workshop would avail participants the platform to learn crucial skills, exposure to knowledge, tools, and strategies to identify as well as how to respond effectively to instances of child abuse.

She added that facilitators would use the interactive sessions to teach educators how to recognise different forms of abuse, understand warning signs, and how to implement proper reporting procedures.

“By doing so, they are better equipped to create safe and nurturing learning environments for children,” she said.

Ajibodu stated that child abuse was a deeply distressing issue affecting countless children worldwide, saying it was educators’ responsibility to be well-informed and equipped to identify and respond to any signs of abuse.

She said with proper training, educators could identify signs of abuse and how to implement appropriate interventions to break the cycle of violence and provide a secure environment for children to learn and thrive.

“The workshop sessions would delve into the complexities of child abuse, providing insights into establishing supportive atmospheres within schools, promoting open dialogue, and empowering children to seek help when needed.

“The story of the success of this workshop would not be complete but for the generous partnership of Cummins West Africa, a company deeply committed to corporate social responsibility.

“Their support will ensure that educators and caregivers will have access to this vital training and strengthen their ability to protect children’s well-being.

“The Cece Yara Foundation, renowned for its dedication to child protection and advocacy, believes that educators play a transformative role in the lives of students beyond academics,” she said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Salif Atojoko

By Jacinta Nwachukwu

An NGO, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) says it is necessary for government to continuously engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the dividend of democracy reaches the average Nigerian.

Mr Shittu Jubril, the Chief Executive Officer, PPDC, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Jubril said the most transparent and governable society was possible when citizens were actively informed and engaged.

“As civil society, our expectation is that the consultation which the new administration has started will continue to be all inclusive and engaging in a more transparent and cohesive manner.

“This will ensure that the dividends of democracy and governance reaches the average Nigerian.

“Access to information, access to the decisions that are being made and being part of the decisions are things we try to promote,” he said.

Jubril said that PPDC had been in existence for 20 years as a civil society organisation promoting good governance and citizens engagement.

He added that one of the centre’s thematic areas was procurement covenant, saying this was about how government resources were utilised for the provision of health care, transportation and infrastructure such as schools.

According to Jubril, for government to be effective, it has to deal with the allocation of resources.

“What we then do is to ensure that these allocations are transparent and accountable, and that would not exist where there is a rule of law and there is no impunity.

He, therefore, commended President Bola Tinubu for stating clearly in his inaugural speech that his administration would adhere to the rule of law. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Oluyinka Fadare/Folasade Adeniran