Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has expressed disgust at the introduction of mask security personnel into the election duties in the country, making it clear that he would not allow the use of such agents in the 2015 general elections.
“Any security personnel deployed for the election must be someone identifiable.”
Professor Jega made the position of the Commission known during an interactive session he had in Abuja with both local and international Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who are involved in monitoring elections in the country.
He described the emerging trend of using hooded security men for elections as highly worrisome.
“In recent times, we have witnessed an increased presence of hooded security operatives during elections. This is an emerging trend which is highly worrisome and which needs to be addressed in good time. “Security agents who are deployed on election duties should not be masked, the doctrine of transparency requires that they should be identifiable.
“We will not allow such persons during the 2015 elections. Any security personnel deployed for the election must be someone identifiable such that if anything happens we will be able to know who to hold responsible.”
The INEC boss decried what he termed “over-zealousness” of some security agents during the August 9 governorship election in Osun state, saying that some staff of the Commission and nine NYSC members, who were engaged as INEC ad-hoc staff, were erroneously arrested and kept in detention for over 12 hours.
He said that they were arrested around 9pm on the eve of the election while on their way to the Registration Area Centers, which was provided for them by the Commission.
“They were not released until about 6am the next day, a situation that almost disrupted the distribution of electoral materials in some areas.
“It was sheer luck that we still managed to open the polling units early, otherwise, there would have been disaster. We took a serious view of that and reported the matter to all the appropriate authorities because at a point, we became worried that some persons wanted to undermine our effort.”
Jega said that the perceived over militarization of the just concluded Ekiti and Osun state governorship elections did not deter electorates from coming out to vote for their candidates.
“In fact, the two elections proved that there was a high correlation between the massive deployment of security and the willingness of people to come out and vote.
“Apart from over-zealousness on the part of some of the security men on the field, we discovered that people actually felt more secured to exercise their franchise.
“The key lesson our politicians need to learn from the two elections is that the era has gone when they relied on corrupt electoral officers or security agents to manipulate elections.
“In this era, any politician that intend to win election must reach out and convince the voters, be it through ‘stomach-infrastructure’ or otherwise.
“The only guarantee to win election now is to let the voters come out to vote for you, which in turn means that you must first of all convince them on your credibility.” [myad]

Nigeria health minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has promised that Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh and two Nurses who died from Ebola Virus Disease in the course of managing the Liberian-American importer of the disease, Patrick Sawyer did not die in vain.
The minister who was answering questions from newsmen shortly after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa Abuja, today, said that government is working out some package for them.
He described late Dr. Adadevoh as a patriotic and courageous Nigerians who single-handedly stopped late Sawyer from moving out of Lagos airport into another parts of the country.
“Nigeria would been in a serious disaster now if it were not the effort of Dr. Adadevoh who insisted that Sawyer would not be allowed to pass through Lagos after he was diagnosed to be carrier of the deadly disease.”
Professor Chukwu praised the courage of the late senior medical consultant and said that government felt very concern about her death and the death of two Nurses who died earlier.
The minister would not want to single out only Dr. Adadevoh for special treatment from the Nurses, “but the fact that she led the medical team that prevented Sawyer from moving out of Lagos and also to manage him until he died needs to be appreciated.”
The minister expressed confidence in the determination of the government, working with various interest groups to quickly tackle the Ebola diseases, even as he acknowledged the contributions of people in private sector, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu Foundation and others.
Professor Chukwu appealed to media practitioners to join hand with the government to fight and control the disease, warning against sensationalising the issue involved.
The minister spoke to newsmen along with his information counterpart, Labaran Maku, minister of state for Power and that for Health as well as the Director General of the Directorate of Public Procurement (DPP), Chief Eze. [myad]

The new Head of Civil Service in Nigeria, Danladi Danladi Irmiya Kifasi has vowed to drastically reduce the level of bureaucracy in the service, especially the limit to which files can be treated.
He made it clear that he would set an ultimatum for civil servants within which they should treat any file before them and that any servant who allows file to stay on his table for more than 14 days, would be made to face serious reprimand.
Kifashi, who spoke to newsmen at the Presidential Villa, shortly after he was sworn in today by President Goodluck Jonathan said that he was determined to turn the civil service around in line with the transformation agenda of the present government.
He said that one of the first things he would do as he assumes office is to open website and other line of communications as avenues for receiving feed backs from Nigerians on the performances of the civil servants to him directly.
The Head of Civil Service, who hails from Taraba state, made it clear that there would be no hiding place for lazy and corrupt civil servants, even as he promised that hard working and honest ones would be adequately rewarded.

“We are going to set up structures that will give us feedback for example I personally will set up a call centre and a blog, a website, twitter, so that people who have complains about their mails not being treated in good time can call or write in to me directly so that they can have a response.

“I intend to set a limit of fourteen days maximum, any mail or document treated outside fourteen days such officers will be appropriately reprimanded and there will be incentives for those that do well and of course stick for those that don’t do well” he said.

On the handling of staff from his experience as an accountant, he said: “you are very right in the sense that anywhere you play by the rule people think you are harsh or difficult but that is why we are there to ensure that rules and regulations are complied with.” [myad]

The crisis rocking Ebonyi State House of Assembly took another dimension when police arrested the new Speaker, Helen Nwaobasi, and 14 other members of State Assembly outside the court premises after their appearance in court over the on-going case about the authentic Speaker of the House.

The crisis started on July 21 when 18 of the 24 members of the State Assembly announced the impeachment of the Speaker, Chukwuma Nwazunku and the election of Nwaobasi to replace him. But Nwazunku denied he was impeached, describing his impeachment as illegal.

He and nine lawmakers loyal to him filed a suit asking the Ebonyi State High Court to restrain Nwaobasi from parading himself as Speaker.

The Nwaobasi group also filed a counter motion seeking to restrain Nwazunku from parading himself as Speaker. The court had fixed yesterday for further hearing on the suit which the 14 House members attended.

But the police laid siege on them at the gate of the court and bundled them to the nearby State Police Headquarters.

Notable among those arrested are the Minority Leader, Enyi C. Enyi (APC) and Minority Whip, Joseph Nwaobasi (APC), Deputy Speaker, Blaise Orji (PDP) and the Speaker Helen Nwaobasi.

No reasons have been given for their arrest.

Police spokesman, Chris Anyanwu denied knowledge of the arrests.

Reporters were also chased out of the police headquarters on the orders of the Commissioner of Police. [myad]