The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has approved 44 Observer groups to participate in the FCT Area Council Elections scheduled for March 19.
The approval, according to a statement from the Commission, is sequel to the initial applications as contained in the completed Form EPMC 01 and assessed by the Commission.
According to the Commission, the approved Observer groups are to obtain, complete and return Form EPMC 002 for the Elections from the Elections and Party Monitoring Department, INEC Headquarters, Maitama, Abuja between 8.00am and 4.00am (Monday-Friday) starting from February 24 to March 7.
The Commission also said the date for distribution of observer kits in the FCT Area Councils will be communicated in due course and that any further enquiries should be directed to the Director, Elections and Party Monitoring Department.
The approved groups are as follows:
S/NO
ORGANISATION
DOMESTIC
1.
National Association of State Assembly Legislators (NASAL)
2.
West African Network of Election Observers (WANEO)
3.
Diaspora Advocacy for a new Dawn Initiative in Nigeria
4.
Africa For Millennium Change Initiative
5.
Research Initiative for Sustainable Development and Gender Awareness (RISDGA)
6.
African Initiative for Sustainable Positive Development
7.
Network of Civil Society Organization in Nigeria
8.
Global Development Centre for Rescue Mission in Nigeria
9.
African Christian Care Trust Organization
10.
Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness
11.
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution
12.
Community Life Project (Reclaim Naija)
13.
Global Women Empowerment Association
14.
Human Right and Relief Charity Organization
15.
Int’l Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre
16.
Centre for Strategy, Ethics and Values
17.
Centre for Civic Education (Transition Monitoring Group) (TMG)
18.
Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA)
19.
Justice & Equity Organization
20.
Arewa Consultative Women Organization
21.
African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development
22.
Centre for Strategic Conflict Management
23.
International Noble Initiative Club
24.
Restoration for Truth Rights Initiative
25.
Patriotic Women Foundation
26.
Citizens Rights and Leadership Initiative
27.
Nigeria Bar Association (NBA)
28.
Global Network for Peace Building
29.
Connected Development Initiative (CODE)
30.
Gamji Members Association
31.
African Youths International Development Foundation
32.
African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council
33.
Global Agenda for Total Emancipation
34.
Youth Education on Human Rights and Civic Responsibilities
35.
Civic Liberties Organization (CLO)
36.
Nigeria Vote Count Campaigners
37.
Centre for Policy Advocacy and Leadership Development
38.
International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
39.
Orient Foundation for Social Justice and Civic Education
40.
Women Initiative for a Better Nigeria
41
Election Monitor
42.
Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (PLAC)
43.
New-View Global Initiative for Youth and Women Development
Nigerians voted for change and to attain that change there is a need to do things differently, in the recognition that doing what we have always done will only result in more of the same. That change has started with the vital offensive against corruption, which has had a huge and adverse effect on our economy. Much of the debilitating underinvestment in our infrastructure that has handicapped our economic growth, has arisen because funds were diverted to enrich a few at the expense of the wider populace. At the lower levels, the waste, inefficiency and culture of non-performance have, like a financial cancer, eaten away at our core institutions. We are already beginning to see change. The slide towards self-destruction has slowed down but we must now work collectively to ensure that we exploit the upside from our situation. Globally the downturn has hit all nations, rich and poor alike. The manner in which governments have intervened to protect their economies have been diverse and innovative. What is abundantly clear is the fact that the previous consensus about what is best for the global economy is rapidly changing. There is a concerted move towards individualism rather than collectivism. The new normal for the global economy is that there is no normal, each nation must painstakingly work out the best path to follow. For Nigeria, we believe that the best path to follow is to invest in infrastructure that will unlock the potential in the non oil sectors. We can transition from being a commodity economy to an industrialized, regionally dominant one. Oil is important but clearly, oil it not enough. Iran is a very recent and relevant example of living without oil. The sanctions that embargoed Iran’s oil led to the development of robust petrochemical and other export industries that enabled the country to survive. Iran survived without oil, made tough decisions and is now being feted by investors as the next growth story. The focus of our economic policy is to redress the infrastructure deficit, unlock the rich diversity in the economy with a determined and focused turnaround programme. For us it would be a tragedy to have endured so much pain and not emerge better and stronger. The provision of a spending stimulus to the economy is critical to releasing the upside in the economy. Investing specifically in Power and Transportation will release the opportunities in solid minerals, manufacturing and agriculture. However, government spending alone is insufficient to bridge the infrastructure gap and there is a need to embrace private capital to provide additional impact. We are at an advanced stage of reforming the process for Public Private Partnerships to provide a seamless pathway to attracting much needed private, financial and operational input to service delivery. Private capital brings more than financial resources; it also brings discipline and best practice, creating a benchmark against which the utilisation of public money can be measured. It is important to link the fiscal housekeeping initiatives that we have started with the wider economic strategy. Specifically, questions around the focus on corruption and the elimination of ghost workers, controlling inefficient spending and preventing revenue leakages, need to be evaluated in the context of how it impacts our ability to stimulate the economy. We have been increasing our level of borrowing annually, and much of that is used to fund recurrent spending. Indeed in 2015 just 10% of spending went to capital items. We spent more on travel, training and stationery than on roads. No nation has ever developed with such consistent underinvestment in capital. Growing the economy at a rate that will address the employment needs of our huge population requires a fundamental change in how government collects its revenues and spends. The 2016 budget is deficit financed; and the fiscal housekeeping which is aggressively blocking revenue leakages and reducing costs is firmly aimed at ensuring that the borrowed funds are channelled into capital projects, rather than seeping through an inefficient financial management system. This is not only prudent economics but it is a moral necessity, since these borrowings will be repaid by future generations. Therefore, while we focus fully on the macroeconomic indicators; we must and will continue to focus on the micro factors which collectively shape and determine the larger picture. The road map to attaining our objectives is a tough one, and we may endure the financial pain for longer than we would prefer, but the upside is that we have actually already endured the worst part of the adjustment cycle. The outlook for oil prices is looking more positive but we are fundamentally determined to ignore oil. One word that will resonate across all that we do in government is ‘Discipline’. Financial discipline is going to be a game changer in shaping the future of Nigeria’s economy. Our focus will make sure that ‘every naira counts’ irrespective of its source. The government is ready and determined to lead this crusade of financial responsibility. The big questions are: § Is the populace ready to do the right thing in their respective areas of operations? § Are we willing to be frugal and conservative in expenditure? § Are we as custodians of the nation’s wealth willing to manage the resources entrusted to us with care, knowing that someday we will be called to account? § Are we willing to confront those who mismanage our collective wealth regardless of the consequences? § Dare we look at what worked successfully in the 50s and 60s, and then modernise and re-enact them? § Dare we look at global trends, and courageously invest in our forecasted choices? Nigeria stands on the threshold, daring to move into previously uncharted territory through identifying and embracing novel economic and fiscal policy stratagems that will release our considerable upside. We are for innovation to create a new workable path, courage, and discipline to implement and build a resilient economy that is not controlled by the oil price.
Kemi Adeosun is current Nigeria’s Minister of Finance. [myad]
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has condoled with President Muhammadu Buhari over the death of the Minister of State for Labour, Barrister James Ocholi. The Minister in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media Abubakar Sani, said he received with shock and deep sense of loss, the news of the Minister’s death adding that more saddening was the fact that he died along with his wife and son in the fatal car crash which occurred along the Abuja – Kaduna road on Sunday. Bello described Ocholi as an exceptional team player and a loyalist to the core, stressing that his commitment to President Muhammadu Buhari’s change agenda was unwavering and that he remained passionate about it until his last breath. The Minister called on the President to take solace in the fact that Ocholi died while working assiduously to actualize his dream of a better Nigeria, championed by this administration. The Minister said that Nigeria will miss the late Minister’s contributions to national development which he demonstrated during his short but memorable stay in office. Muhammad Bello advised the people of Kogi state to accept Ocholi’s demise as a thing destined by God even as he prayed that his soul should rest in peace.
Meanwhile, the driver of the Sport Utility Vehicle which conveyed the Minister yesterday is said to have also died bringing the number of deaths in the fatal accident to five.
This is even as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Boboye Oyeyemi on has said that the commission has began full investigation into the causes of the crash of the car of the late Minister of Labour and productivity to determine what led to the ghastly crash in order to prevent future occurrence,
The FRSC also commiserates with President Muhammadu Buhari, members of the Federal Executive Council and the immediate family of Barrister James Eneojo Ocholi on the death of the Minister on the Kaduna- Abuja road.
According to Bisi Kazeem, Head, Media Relations and Strategy of the corps in a statement in Abuja said Oyeyemi said that the death of the Minister in the crash was a tragic incident that has challenged FRSC to step up its campaigns against carnage, saying he was personally touched and would work with relevant stakeholders to develop appropriate strategies that could address future occurrences.
“The crash occurred at about 1500hrs and involved two vehicles: one Toyota Lexus LX570 car and a backup car. Three lives were lost in the incident. While the Minister and his son died instantly, the wife later died at the Doka Hospital near Kaduna.”
The Corps Marshal said that as soon as the crash occurred, FRSC rescue teams were mobilized from the Ambulance Point and Unit Command at Doka and Kateri respectively to the scene where they carried out the rescue activities. He pointed out that the corpses were conveyed to the National Hospital Abuja by personnel of the FRSC where they were deposited.
On the cause of the crash, Oyeyemi disclosed that preliminary investigation into the cause indicated that the crash was due to tyre burst, which led to loss of control and somersaulting of the vehicle. He added however that he has ordered full investigation into the crash to be carried out by FRSC Accident Investigation Team.
“I have already ordered full investigation into the causes of the crash to determine what led to the ghastly crash in order to prevent future occurrence,” he stated.
Meanwhile the Corps Marshal has disclosed that with the unfortunate incident, FRSC is more determined to work with the Executive and members of the National Assembly as well as other relevant stakeholders to workout appropriate modalities for ensuring crash-free roads, saying training and retraining of government drivers is part of the immediate measures being taken by the FRSC to avert convoy crashes in the country.
He noted that when FRSC trained the drivers of the Governors’ convoy, the benefits in terms of improved driving culture became immediately noticeable, saying the Corps would be working with members of the Federal Executive Council to put some measures in place, including re-training of their drivers to avoid convoy crashes.
“We are working with the Minister of Works, Power and Housing to install traffic signs at some strategic points along the highways. We are equally committed to working with the National Assembly to step up advocacy and enforcement strategies to curtail issues of speed violation and promotion of use of seatbelt,” Oyeyemi stated. [myad]
The speed limit device which was introduced in Nigeria with the support of FRSC, NURTW, NARTO and NUPENG/PTD to help address the issue of the increasing speed-related road traffic crashes in Nigeria has now become a controversy in the country. The device, despite the controversy, is now being fully enforced. But the question is how successfully can this be in Nigeria? How willing are the drivers in complying with this new technology? Is the government sure that this device will help in solving the road crashes and accidents in the country? Has government considered the level of education in the country? Before the introduction of such device, government should have considered so many factors. In deed, the fact that the same device was a success story in England, America and other developed countries does not mean it will be successful in Nigeria. This is because, the conditions of our roads are different; the educated level of the citizens is different and even the attitudes and behaviour of the citizens are different from those of the other countries. Some citizen can also be very mischievous that they can tamper with the device and adjust to the particular speed they want and also, it’s officials in charge as we all know most Nigerian officials always show lackadaisical towards their job. So government should consider all these factors before making it mandatory on motorist and making sure they put in strategies on ground in checkmating these factors .for example the government should implement an electronic device that will help in checking vehicles that have installed the speed limit devices
Eugene Rita Chiamaka is of the Department of mass communications, wrote from Ibrahim Badamasi University, Lapai. [myad]
A member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1 Ikole-Ekiti, Hon. Kehinde Agboola, has brought smiles to the faces of his constituency. At the maiden empowerment programme he held in the constituency at the weekend, Agboola distributed cash totaling N2 Million, in addition to 100 sewing machines, 100 hair dryer, 50 pieces of laptop and desktop computers, 100 flour mixers and 50 power generating sets, as well as one 18-passenger bus. The empowerment programme witnessed by Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kolapo Olusola, was applauded by the beneficiaries and promised to utilize the materials to enhance their businesses. Also present at the event were the State PDP chairman, Idowu Faleye and about 35 traditional rulers across the two local governments in the constituency. Speaking, the Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Michael Ademolaju, thanked God for the kind of Representative they have and that Hon. Agboola has always been committed to the welfare of his people right from when he was the Chairman of Ikole Local Government Area. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed the former Lagos state deputy governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire as his Senior Special Assistant on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina described Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire as an accomplished politician with many years of experience in public service. She also at one time, served as Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Lagos State. [myad]
Since the emergence of Mallam Nasiru El’Rufa’i as the Governor of Kaduna state, it was not difficult for many political pundits, spectators, journalists and writers to predict that the Governor may likely replicate what he did when he was a minister during President Obasanjo’s administration—demolition of illegal structures.
Unarguably, what is difficult among politicians in Nigeria is a strong zeal and enthusiasm to take decisive decisions unmindful of whose interest they will go against provided they are taking in the best interest of the general public. Such decisions are not hard to take by Governor El’Rufa’i whose political body language does not suggest fear or favour. But I shall return to this later.
Since assumption of office as the Governor of northern Nigeria’s most elitist state, El’Rufa’i wasted no time in declaring a state of emergency in the education sector. In view of the sickening state of affairs in this sector which suffered neglect and ill-informed policies and lack of strong commitments by past administrations to boost the sector, the governor made a quick u-turn to turn the tide of things.
To kick the ball rolling, the Governor unveiled a 13.7 billion naira yearly education project for primary and secondary schools which include free tuition fees, free school feeding and uniforms coupled with rehabilitation of dilapidated structures. Despite heavy debt placed on the coffers of the state government which culminated to over N74.27 billion, recklessly “siphoned’ by the past administration, El’Rufa’i still found succor not to relent.
The Governor who nurtured a strong passion to improve the education sector believes that such a gesture will not only lay a foundation for development, but will also free humanity from bondage. “We are determined that one legacy for the rebirth of our country will be the restoration of education as a tool to free our people from the fetters of ignorance”, El’Rufa’i was quoted as saying when unveiling the package to reinvigorate the sector.
Indeed any sensible government whose interest is to develop its people will stop at nothing to improve its education, for; the popular minds believe that the bedrock of any meaningful development is education.
In my opinion, El’Rufai has characteristically chosen to boost the education sector for two reasons: first, the Governor is not only a beneficiary of education which liberated him from all forms of bondage and placed him where he is today, but is also a first class guru whose passion to see many of his likes among the masses is not far from being sighted. Secondly, the Governor knew too well that with education accorded priority, the economic, social and political malfeasances that have eaten deep into the fabrics of the state will be history and dubious politicians who see nothing wrong in hiring the uneducated disadvantaged youths as political thugs will have to make a rethink.
Despite the economic quagmire that has ravaged the country because of the dwindling prices of oil in the world market, which has impact on the monthly allocation from the federal government, coupled with entrenched culture of impunity and systemic corruption that looted the state dry, the governor still insists, such will not be an excuse not to discharge his responsibilities.
The apparent rendition of El’Rufa’i to boost the sector started with the introduction of school feeding which has so far redoubled school attendance among pupils in the state. Kaduna state is not only the pioneering state in this regard, but a serious minded one whose Governor has generated about 125, 000 jobs in nine months and the larger chunk of those employed are in the education sector. With reports from various national and international NGOs such as UNICEF suggesting that Nigeria has the highest out of school children in the world, El’Rufa’i’s resolve to revitalize education is not only timely but, commendable.
In his quest to achieve success, the Governor also pledged to distribute free customized tablets to enhance e-learning among secondary school students, as well as training and retraining of teachers has since been factored in.
To make all these policies a realization, Mr. ElRufai has demonstrated a strong commitment to hold any public official to ransom who is found wanting in diverting what is meant for the public to their private use. And so far, a school headmaster and support officer that were apprehended and relieved of their duties and suspending two other culprits for allegedly benefitting personally from the school feeding programme is a glaring demonstration of his cohesive approach to rekindle life back to the sector.
Demolition of illegal structures
To demonstrate his doggedness on the notoriously “untouched” Kaduna mafia—a composition of elites, business moguls and top civil servants who have grown fat at the detriment of the common folks, the fearless El’Rufa’i has since started what he was best known for as a minister—demolition of illegal structures.
The people’s Governor is strongly bent on his resolve not to renege his campaign promises, part of which was to fight the Kaduna mafia who illegally allocated hectares of land to themselves and their families.
What is unarguably unpardonable according to the Governor was how these mafias confiscated hectares of land which belong to schools supposedly meant for their expansion and development. El’Rufa’i who defied being “afflicted with a course” from the so called mafia is not only healthy and physically fit to fight back, but has turned his war fare on promoters of endemic corruption, entrenched culture of impunity and the mafia have since started reaping what they have sown.
And gradually with the help of the Almighty and the dysfunction of the mafia, the Governor is getting more grounded in his ambition to peep up the education sector and bulldoze the mafia simultaneously.
The momentum gathered so far is also translating in several other sectors too numerous to mention because of time and space, but this writer will keenly monitor developments in the state to keep readers abreast and to encourage other state Governors to emulate El’Rufai’s model of development.
Haruna Mohammed Salisu writes from Bauchi. He could be reached at 08063180608 or harunababale@gmail.com. [myad]
Former foreign coach of the Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles, Jo Bonfrere is again eyeing the same job 15 years after he left.
The 69-year-old Bonfrere, a Dutchman believes that he is ‘the right man’ to return Nigeria to the summit of African football, 15 years after he was sacked as coach. Bonfrere who coached the nation;s team towards the Nations Cup in 2000 expressed his desire to replace Sunday Oliseh who resigned from the post. The foreign coach, who was sacked by Nigeria in 2001 after losing a World Cup qualifier in Sierra Leone, was also assistant Super Eagles coach from 1990 to 1994 and led Nigeria’s under-23 team to gold at the Atlanta Olympics. “I have worked in Nigeria for a long time in the past and I know what to do to get the Super Eagles flying again,” Bonfrere told BBC Sport on the telephone from the Netherlands. “I love Nigeria because that is where my football mentality is most at home and I have a fantastic relationship with the people there. “Other foreign coaches have also failed because they come with the arrogant attitude of being a world class coach and a big name to perform magic there, and that wrong notion meant they had no passion, desire and the required knowledge to succeed on the job. “I was very successful because I did not separate myself from the reality. I worked with youth and domestic players; I had faith in my Nigerian assistants and gave my best despite all the challenges. “No one has done what I achieved and I believe I am the right man to return Nigeria to glory days in Africa and the world.” Bonfrere began his stormy romance with Nigeria in 1990, when he was the de facto assistant to Clemens Westerhof. The Dutch coaching duo worked together at the 1990, 1992 and 1994 African Nations Cups, winning silver, bronze and gold medals. Bonfrere was also Westerhof’s assistant at the 1994 World Cup and subsequently managed the Under-23 team to a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. But arguments over his salary and team selection made him quit the job in the United States, from where he returned to his native Holland. He returned in 1999 and took charge of the Super Eagles at the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations where Nigeria won the silver medal. [myad]
The Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said that even if the State is invaded by one million armed men of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the orders of President Mohammadu Buhari, the government and the people of the State will never be intimidated to surrender governance of the State to political desperadoes, whose four-year reign destroyed the economy of the State. The governor, who said the DSS under President Buhari is operating beyond its constitutional mandate, added: “the government of Ekiti State may have to reconsider the usefulness of men of the DSS in the government house and other institutions of the State government.” In a statement by the Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said that the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government is pursuing a clandestine agenda of truncating democracy in Ekiti State and other Peoples Democratic Party controlled States like Rivers and Bayelsa. “If Buhari likes, let him relocate all DSS men in Nigeria with the entire ammunitions in their armoury to Ekiti, the will of Ekiti people can never be broken. They will only try, and like they have always done, they will fail because dictatorship has never triumphed over the people. Even Buhari’s dictatorship between 1984 and 1985 ended one day and Nigerians will also outlive his present dictatorship.” The governor said that the DSS under Buhari’s kinsman, Lawal Daura, has abandoned its core mandate of providing intelligence for the protection of the internal security of Nigeria as provided in the Security Agencies Act Cap. N74 LFN, 2004 adding: “Instead of assisting the Police, Military and other security agencies with classified matters, we now have a DSS that is running after perceived opponents of the president, arresting goat and fowl thieves as well as husbands who assaulted their wives. “If the DSS was alive to its responsibilities, we won’t be having Boko Haram insurgents killing Nigerians, all these kidnappings and Fulani Herdsmen killings, raping and destroying farmlands in the South-West, South-East and North-Central zones in the country would have been nipped in the bud.” Fayose said the same way President Buhari used the National Security Organisation, headed by Ambassador Mohammed Lawal Rafindadi from Katsina State, is the same way the President is using the DSS, headed by another of his kinsman, Lawal Daura, to harass, oppress and intimidate Nigerians. “It is obvious that democracy in Nigeria is becoming unsafe in the hands of Buhari and his APC and those keeping silent now because of politics may also end up in the belly of this roaring lion that is threatening to consume our democracy. “Therefore, Nigerians and the international community should take special notice of the use of the DSS and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to muscle opposition. “As for me, I wish to say once again that I am not among those Nigerians that are afraid of harassment by any agency of the federal government. “I make bold to state that in the overall interest of democracy and well-being of Nigerians, I will continue to speak my mind on issues bordering on governance in Nigeria. I will not be intimidated!” [myad]
Permanent Secretary in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye described the attitude some insurance firms involved in the Group Life Assurance Scheme of the FCT as callous and insensitive. Dr. Ajakaiye who held a meeting with representatives of the nine insurance companies involved in the scheme in his office in Abuja, threatened to hand them over to the anti-graft agencies for failing to settle indemnity claims to the several affected staff that are now deceased. The Permanent Secretary lamented that these insurance firms that have refused to pay claims from 2007 to date are deliberately frustrating the implementation of this laudable policy. “We made this policy so that we can take care of those they left behind and if we could bring you in as our partners to implement this scheme and then you default in your own area, year after year, for us to be having unpaid claims from 2007 till date, is seriously unacceptable. “When I received brief on this issue I felt very unhappy. I felt very bad. If there is anything I don’t play with wherever I go, it is staff welfare, especially the welfare of those who are so unfortunate to depart from us.” Dr. Ajakaiye made it clear that if this is the only thing that he will achieve during his period as a Permanent Secretary in FCT, he would take it to the highest level because it is people’s money and the money must get to the individual families that are supposed to benefit from the money today to change their lives. The Permanent Secretary therefore gave 30 days deadline to the firms to pay the deceased families or face the full wrath of the law, saying that the era of impunity is gone forever. Dr. Ajakaiye said that he would go to any length to ensure that these claims are paid, stressing: “the present crop of leadership in the FCTA places high premium on staff welfare and would not tolerate crass lawlessness and misdemeanor from any insurance company. “We won’t allow you to continue to do whatever you like with this money. This money is already with you and the Administration does not owe you. If this (payment) is not done within the stipulated period, we will write to Mr. President on this matter and be assured that the security agencies including the anti-graft bodies will treat this as economic sabotage.” The insurance claims which run into several hundreds of millions of Naira have been pending since 2007, a development that has kept the next of kins of the deceased in financial and emotional jeopardy even when the FCTA had long paid the insurance firms their deductible premiums. Some of the companies involved in the FCT Group Life Assurance scheme include Leadway Assurance, Standard Alliance, Crystal Life, Capital Express, Zenith General Insurance, Intercontinental Life Assurance Company, Wapic Life Assurance, Oceanic Life, Lasco and Goldlink. [myad]
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Speed Limit Device: How Effective Can It Be In Nigeria? By Eugene Rita Chiamaka
But the question is how successfully can this be in Nigeria? How willing are the drivers in complying with this new technology? Is the government sure that this device will help in solving the road crashes and accidents in the country? Has government considered the level of education in the country?
Before the introduction of such device, government should have considered so many factors.
In deed, the fact that the same device was a success story in England, America and other developed countries does not mean it will be successful in Nigeria.
This is because, the conditions of our roads are different; the educated level of the citizens is different and even the attitudes and behaviour of the citizens are different from those of the other countries.
Some citizen can also be very mischievous that they can tamper with the device and adjust to the particular speed they want and also, it’s officials in charge as we all know most Nigerian officials always show lackadaisical towards their job.
So government should consider all these factors before making it mandatory on motorist and making sure they put in strategies on ground in checkmating these factors .for example the government should implement an electronic device that will help in checking vehicles that have installed the speed limit devices
Eugene Rita Chiamaka is of the Department of mass communications, wrote from
Ibrahim Badamasi University, Lapai. [myad]