Jega's =N=74b: A Hoax

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Caps lock is activated.

[mabotech]

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!Emmy: This is good news! But they could go a step further to deploy satellite data services to upload all captured data instantly to the headquarters. That would be a more cost effective and efficient approach.
Post Merge: September 15, 2010, 06:52:56 AMFellow Nigerians, I present to you the best presidential material in this dispensation; a man of untainted integrity and the right credentials to tackle the root causes of Nigeria's problems; a man who would be faithful to his oath to serve the people and protect the constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is a man who truly believes in the Nigeria of our dreams! He is fearless to carry out his definite plans to salvage this country. He is decisive and sure footed to bring down the demon of corruption. That man is Nuhu Ribadu! Cast your votes for change now. Do not waste your votes on spent forces. Let's put the right man on that seat. It is our chance to cause the Nigeria of our dreams to happen. Vote wisely! Vote for Nuhu Ribadu! Watch out for detailed analyses of his meaningful and achievable plans and clear-cut programs to achieve them!

Data capturing machine or not, made in America, Germany, china, India or whatsoever, it doesn't stop PDP from rigging the election if they want to but i believe God is higher than them, every day for the thief, one day for the owner.

[Davincii]

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!Emmy: This is good news! But they could go a step further to deploy satellite data services to upload all captured data instantly to the headquarters. That would be a more cost effective and efficient approach.
Post Merge: September 15, 2010, 06:52:56 AMFellow Nigerians, I present to you the best presidential material in this dispensation; a man of untainted integrity and the right credentials to tackle the root causes of Nigeria's problems; a man who would be faithful to his oath to serve the people and protect the constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is a man who truly believes in the Nigeria of our dreams! He is fearless to carry out his definite plans to salvage this country. He is decisive and sure footed to bring down the demon of corruption. That man is Nuhu Ribadu! Cast your votes for change now. Do not waste your votes on spent forces. Let's put the right man on that seat. It is our chance to cause the Nigeria of our dreams to happen. Vote wisely! Vote for Nuhu Ribadu! Watch out for detailed analyses of his meaningful and achievable plans and clear-cut programs to achieve them!

[Emmanuel]

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For the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria, each of the 120, 000 Direct Data Capture Machines (DDCMs) to be used for voters registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is being configured to have a satellite location tracking device.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kayode Idowu, at the INEC headquarters on Tuesday evening, said the tracking system would boost the integrity of the voters registration.

The tracking system is meant to enable INEC foil any attempt by politicians or their accomplices among INEC’s ad-hoc staff who
may wish to take the DDCM out of a location it is officially assigned.

Let wait and see and pray it works

[Davincii]

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While the spent forces who have contributed in no small measure to the destruction of our economy and consequently of many lives plan and contrive new ways to get our most valued votes, Fellow Nigerians let us remain resolute to cause the CHANGE we need to happen.

We cannot afford to let it all be business as usual. Recollect where we were, where we've been and think of where we ought to be.

We must not give room for persons who have no business being in government to grab any elective seat in the coming elections.

While they perfect ways to hoodwink us, let us perfect ways at beating them to their own games and leave them writhing in political death throes on all fronts and at all levels of governance.

We really can make the difference!
Post Merge: September 14, 2010, 12:15:29 PMThe sacrifices we make today for the people form the rock-solid foundation of that bright, resplendent future replete with the justice, equity, fairness, equality in terms of access to our common wealth and perpetuation of the people's rights not just to live, but to live well.

God has helped us by giving us the ability to identify and isolate the nation's problems and to proffer meaningful solutions to them. We cannot afford to fail our benevolent maker and friend (GOD) by choosing to be lukewarm and complacent. God has birthed in us an undiluted passion for our nation and we cannot afford to fail Him and our progeny now! We can help ourselves now or never!
Post Merge: September 14, 2010, 04:33:39 PMAnother section of the Nigerian society that has been neglected and deserves to be heard are women. So many women are a bundle of talents and have so much rich deposits of God-given talents the nation can tap from. But most unfortunately, at the moment, they are reduced to mere sex objects in every sphere of our national life and are hardly taken seriously. Unfortunately, some of these women accept and wear this toga (sex object) very prominently. Only few fight doggedly to carve a niche for themselves and retain their dignity through and through. These women are respected and deferred to on the basis of moral rectitude and the invaluable contributions they make to national life even as dutiful wives.

Amongst the few who have held national offices recently, we can be proud of their massive, unprecedented achievements as they hold their heads high not with arrogance but on the basis of measurable and highly visible and unmistakable achievements. These women can be dynamites when unleashed on the problems that beset our national growth. They are tenacious and resolute when they believe in a cause. They need to take their pride of place as equal partners in developing our nation!

Our mothers, sisters, wives and cherished companions, Nigeria counts on you to contribute meaningfully to the development of your nation. You have done Nigeria proud with the contributions of a few of you who have held national offices and some across states and local governments. Please, come out and participate.

Nigeria needs you now! Save the children! Save the country! Save future generations!
Post Merge: September 14, 2010, 05:22:34 PMThese same men of the old order who have kept the youth of this nation from making meaningful contributions to the development of Nigeria have done the same thing to our women. In some climes, they marry them early and prevent them from going to school. In some, even the graduate women are mere decorations in the house needed to complete his list of assets, never to be heard. In some, the women are seen as the family's meal ticket and gifts to gain political and financial advantage. Yet in some, women are treated as farm implements while the men drink away and fail to live up to their responsibilities. Yet, these women bear it all and shoulder the responsibilities solely and so easily like it's a normal way of life. The woman is the seed of life on all fronts. How I wish our girls and women will reclaim their honour and dignity and stop making a fool of themselves thinking they have to live off some bloated idiot who calls himself man like our politicians and money bags are. There is total lack of respect for women such that even top government officials who are caught pants down molesting innocent girls and married women in the name of offering asssitance get away with blue murder!
Post Merge: September 14, 2010, 05:30:56 PMOur resilient Nigerian women: mothers, wives, sisters, daughters are priceless national treasures that deserve to be brought into an equal-partnership relationship with the men in ensuring our country takes it's rightful place in the comity of progressive nations. Slave trade was abolished long ago. Many men cried foul when it was on on a massive scale, yet they readily consign their wives and daughters to household slavery - not as productive and contributory partners to the development and protection of family life. This is the picture that plays out in the larger society!

[Davincii]

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There is great need for the Nigerian youth to readjust their thinking. The onus to transform Nigeria rests on us. In fact, given the right atmosphere to operate, Nigerian youths are highly resourceful, creative and intelligent. Apart from movies and songs, Nigerian youth can become captains of industry churning out goods and services and other products that would dwarf western inventions. This is the more reason we must get it right this time. We must get actively involved in selecting our leaders and the processes through which this is done. We must tell clearly with our votes the direction we truly want our country to go. I urge all Nigerian youth to come out en mass to do the needful. We cannot continue to wait for these corrupt few who have held this nation to ransom for over 50 years running now to continue to us just who they want us to vote and to contrive a sordid future for us! Your involvement and vote can make a real difference.

Let us live above the mentality that speaks of resignation to fate claiming 'there's nothing we can do', 'that's how we met it', 'what can we do?' Let us strive to make a difference in our own little way now in our various places of work, our communities, our homes and in our professions.

Let us stop thinking the rot has gone on for too long and we cannot stop it. Our youth are some of the most intelligent people on earth. Nigeria depends on us now, more than ever before!
Post Merge: September 11, 2010, 08:57:35 AMOur forebears were scared of the unknown and of adverse repercussions ans so failed to stand up for the people. They silently and sheepishly acquiesced to the all the mess that was going on. Today, we are worse for it. But for how long must we continue to shirk off our responsibilities and leave it to senile elders in whom so much rot has been engraved when they should be under our care, when they should have handed over to us the ship of state long ago? Out of frustration, many Nigerian youths have taken to wrong devices such as drugs, crime and rebellion. These guys are comfortable keeping you in such state as they would continue to enjoy their loot unchallenged! Some of us have had to leave the shores of this country out of frustration also as the system seemed not to work.

Fellow Nigerian youths, I ask again, for how long must we continue like this. No one is going to do it for us. We have to do it ourselves.

The Nigeria we dream of is not far-fetched! It's just lurking behind the door and we need to open that door to usher in that resplendent future we seek.

Our country is the most blessed amongst the nations of the earth by all standards except for the wickedness of a few from all the parts of Nigeria: North, South, East and West.

We have kow-towed to the whims and caprices of so-called elders some of who are youths also (but who have sold their consciences and chose to follow the path of dishonour the elders have exposed them to.If you're one of them please you have a chance to turn around for good. For once, let's make concerted efforts to make the Nigerian project work!

It's unfortunate if your mother or father or uncle or aunty or brother or sister or cousin or friend was also involved in the rot that has put Nigeria in a bad shape today. You can choose to make a difference and stop the rot now.

Stop to imagine for a moment where we were after independence and then where we are right now. Can you imagine where we would be and also our children and our children's children would be if this rot continues.

Jega may wobble and fumble. Politicians may contrive and plot aimlessly. We, on our part must remain resolute to cause the change we need to happen now by ensuring only credible people are voted in in 2011.

As part of the criteria, look out for youthfulness, burning zeal for our Fatherland, clear sense of directions to where we want to go, meaningful and achievable plans in the short term and in the long term that can take us there, dogged and unshaken faith in the Nigerian project, indisputable pedigree and a good track record of previous performance, untainted character (or truly repentant personality as evidenced in recent performances), love for the people and a hearing ear for what the people's will is (in reality, the people are the boss and they servants), unmistakable dislike and hatred for corruption and a knack for excellence and achievements and an ability to see projects through to a logical conclusion.

Let the divisive factors our so-called elders have sold to us over the years be relegated to the rear. North, South, East and West, let the Nigerian youth speak, in unison and in one resounding voice, for the needed change! It is achievable in 2011 if you believe!

Nigeria, our Fatherland, counts on us!
Post Merge: September 11, 2010, 10:20:29 AMWhen it comes to experience needed to rule this country, most Nigerian youths are more than qualified! We feel the brunt of misrule for 60 years now. We know where it pinches. While the so-called experienced thieving hands have more experience perfecting ways of stealing our resources with reckless abandon and keeping our country in a comatose state. They have become experts at raping the country and sleeping with little girls who could well be their daughters and patronizing all the choice hotels in choice cities. They have more than 50 years experience destroying the economy and perfecting rigging strategies and fomenting trouble and heating up the polity with irrelevant issues such as zoning or no zoning, religious differences and geographical and cultural differences. The youth have experience finding and proffering solutions to these problems but do not get heard. It's time for the Nigerian youth to be heard!

[Davincii]

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2011: Elections start Jan 15 as INEC rolls out timetable
WEDNESDAY, 08 SEPTEMBER 2010 15:43    ADMINISTRATOR   
 
Professor Jega
From FRANCIS AWOWOLE-BROWNE, Abuja

Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday rolled out the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2011 elections starting with the National Assembly election on January 15, 2011. Presidential election follows on January 22.
The political parties, according to the timetable, are free to start campaign as from October 17.
INEC National Commissioner in charge of Publicity, Solomon Soyebi, who read the timetable to newsmen at the commission’s secretariat, said all the arrangements were in tandem with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the 2010 amended Electoral Act.
According to the 18-item programme of electoral events the voters’ registration exercise begins November 1 and ends on the 14 contrary to the earlier speculated date. 
The first electoral activity begins on September 11 with the conduct of party primaries running through October 30, 2010. This would be followed by the issuance of notice of election on October 13, 2010 after which parties could commence campaign in public places as from October 17, 2010.
Registration of voters begins on November 1 and ends November 14. Display of voters’ register for claims and objections would be between November 20 and 25, 2010.
The last day for the withdrawal by candidates and substitution of withdrawn candidates by political parties would run from November 30, for National Assembly candidate, December 7, for Presidential candidate and December 14 for governorship and state Assembly candidates.
INEC would publish the final official voters’ register for elections on December 16.
Collection of nomination forms is between November 22 and 25, 2010 while the publication of nominated candidates would run from December 16 for National Assembly election, December 23 for presidential election and December 30 for governorship and state Assembly elections.
Last day for campaigns had been fixed for January 8, 2011, for National Assembly election, January 15 for presidential election and January 22 for governorship and State Assembly elections.
Run offs for governorship and presidential elections, if any, would be held within seven days after the announcement of the results of the respective elections in line with sections 179 (4) (5) and 134 (4) (5) respectively of the constitution.
“In exercise of the powers conferred on the Independent National Electoral Commission by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2010 and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, the Independent National Electoral Commission (in this Timetable and Schedule of Activities referred to as ‘the Commission’ hereby issues this Timetable and Schedule of Activities for 2011 general elections.”

Culled from Daily Sun, September 9, 2010
Post Merge: September 09, 2010, 01:19:30 PMGood time table. But we need to know the modalities for the voters' registration exercise as well as for the elections. We need a total picture - not just a skeletal outline. We need to know the operational business rules and measures. That is more important to Nigerians now than just a lazy listing of events.
Post Merge: September 09, 2010, 03:50:23 PMProfessor Olu Obafemi, Team Leader of a set of NIPPS participants on a visit to INEC told Jega that irrespective of time limit, INEC must deliver a credible electoral process hinged partly on a credible voters' register.

If INEC says registration will take place within the first two weeks of November, then what time is the electoral body complaining about? that is many clear days before the elections. But, the curious issue still remains the modalities. For instance, why can't registered voters' list be displayed immediately at each registration centre as soon as the days' exercise is concluded? Why must it take INEC several weeks after the exercise before a so-called official voters' register can be displayed what with the expensive technology INEC has milked Nigeria dry to purchase? What operational procedures does INEC have in place to ensure that the records are not corrupted and that spurious data do not get recorded? What happens to the records between the registration center and the center where the data will be uploaded for analyses? What controls are in place to ensure the integrity of the data?
Post Merge: September 09, 2010, 08:48:40 PMThe party said, “The problem of impossible time line which the elections face now was not created by INEC but by the choreographed delayed amendment to the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.


“By releasing the timetable therefore, INEC has simply demonstrated its readiness to comply with both the provisions of the 2010 Electoral Act and the amended constitution.”


The ACN said that in reality, INEC knew that elections were not feasible in January 2011 for many reasons but still went ahead to fix the commencement of the exercise.


It added, “From our investigations, INEC is yet to award the contract for the procurement of the 120,000 Direct Data Capturing Machines needed for the fresh voter registration.


“It will take a minimum of 10 weeks from the date of award for the machines to arrive in Nigeria, and INEC will require a minimum of three weeks to complete registration and display the new register for claims and objections.


“It will take another eight weeks or at least 45 days to integrate the data from the over 120,000 polling units before INEC can commence printing of new voters cards. It is therefore clear that INEC cannot have the new voter register ready before 21 weeks from today even if the contract for the procurement of the 120,000 DDC machines were to be awarded today, which will bring us to the first or second week in February 2011. This is already way past the month of January for which the elections have been scheduled.”


The ACN however said no one could blame INEC for the situation, but that the blame should be laid squarely at the doorsteps of the National Assembly, which wasted so much time before the new Electoral Act and the amended Constitution were enacted into law, even as the latter was being challenged by the presidency at the Supreme Court.


It said, “We know for sure that it was clearly not the intention of the PDP-dominated National Assembly to give us a new credible voter register, hence the new law prescribing elections for January. In fact, until Nigerians kicked against it, the old voters‘ register was to be used for the conduct of the 2011 poll, which would have sealed the fate of the poll.


“There is nothing sacrosanct about elections in January 2011. After all, it is not as if all election petitions can be disposed off between January and May 2011, were the polls to hold in January.”


“We therefore demand, unequivocally, that INEC be given adequate time to do a thorough job. The 2011 elections are critical to the survival of our democracy and the realisation of the consistent pledge by President Goodluck Jonathan to organise free, fair and credible polls. We cannot afford to fail.”

Culled from "It’s an unrealistic schedule – ACN",By Mudiaga Affe, Punch Newspapers, Thursday, September 9, 2010
Post Merge: September 10, 2010, 03:40:50 AMFellow Nigerians, please note the following from the previous post:

“It will take a minimum of 10 weeks from the date of award for the machines to arrive in Nigeria, and INEC will require a minimum of three weeks to complete registration and display the new register for claims and objections.


“It will take another eight weeks or at least 45 days to integrate the data from the over 120,000 polling units before INEC can commence printing of new voters cards. It is therefore clear that INEC cannot have the new voter register ready before 21 weeks from today even if the contract for the procurement of the 120,000 DDC machines were to be awarded today, which will bring us to the first or second week in February 2011. This is already way past the month of January for which the elections have been scheduled.”

This is the impression confused Jega and his backward team wants Nigerians to have: tacitly preparing our minds to accept possible reasons for his failure to deliver a credible voters' register and elections. Now he's trying to put the blame at the doorsteps of the National Assembly. ACN should not swallow Jega's dummy. If he really has an understanding of the technology he intends to use, the results can be obtained instantly. I maintain that Jega plans to use cutting edge technology, but he thinks manually. He's so backward in his knowledge of the technologies involved. Not surprisingly, he and his team are still planning to award a contract for the so-called esoteric DDC machines form planet 'Utopia' when all that he needs are locally available in required quantities from representatives of manufacturers of the world's most reputable brands at highly competitive prices. By now, no It governance plan is in place including rules of engagement for the DDC operators as well as the operational procedures to ensure the entire process is fraud-prone. What is wrong with this country? Nigerians, the ball is in your court! Save your country now by being involved or be forever doomed to be citizens of a country where your dreams and aspirations cannot be realized. Previous suggestions on this thread should come in handy! We must get it right!
Post Merge: September 10, 2010, 03:58:38 AMFor God's sake. what does it take to integrate data? If the right operational procedures are in place then it takes only fractions of a second to get it done, certainly not 45 days as the lying and confused Jega wants Nigerians to believe! This is an insult on IT practitioners in this country! It is clear that Jega does not intend to use the robust technology he intends to deploy efficiently. He lacks the know-how and he is surrounded by people who also lack the know-how -  a bunch of backward university dons now suddenly becoming IT experts. At worst, even if there was no robust network in place for immediate upload of the day's data collected at each registration centre remotely to a central server, all the DDC machines should have uniform software and uniform data schemas even if it's all the disparate database engines. INEC's IT personnel should the deploy ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) tools to sync the data from all the sources and pull them all into a central data pool and then apply predefined statistical tools to analyze the results. Key fields that must be featured in the uniform database schema include Name of Voter, System Generated Unique Voters' ID, Name of Operator, Date, Time, Sex, Photo, Local Government, Ward, State. These are the most critical fields. It does not take even a week to develop and efficient tool to do this by an experienced, skillful software engineer. Why is Jega so hell-bent on disgracing himself and riding on the ignorance of Nigerians and politicians to spread so much misleading information? I repeat, left alone, Jega will not deliver a credible voters' register for 2011 elections. If this is allowed to happen, we can imagine how flawed the elections will be. We must rise up and tell Jonathan and Jega that it's not going to be party as usual.
Post Merge: September 10, 2010, 04:02:07 AMIf we, the good people of this country, do not rise up to own the processes by which we select our leaders and to participate actively in the entire process, then these charlatans will continue to impose candidates on us. Dear Nigerians, you may wish to read previous posts on the strategy for us to ensure we're not short-changed this time around and to ensure that our sovereign will is brought to bear on the choice of who best can rule us and deliver the Nigeria of our dreams to us.

[Davincii]

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@Emmy: That is a story that won't fly. He's got the money all along and after so many days has done nothing with it. His plans are shoddy and as I pointed out previously, he didn't even have a real plan when they went demanding for that ridiculous sum. Then also, the approach to the whole process is faulty and he's telling Nigerians that he definitely would not achieve anything meaningful  beyond what his prtedecessors have done. If he's true to the course of delivering credible voters' register, then he should use the technology well and stop making excuses. The whole thing will surely be fraud-laden more especially as the voters' register would be displayed on the 29th of November, 2010, more than two weeks after thge exercise. This will give room for too much manipulations. What's wrong with displaying the results of each day's exercise? I repeat, Jega has no understanding of the technologies he's about to deploy and that would even make him fail woefully. He intends to deploy technology, but he thinks manually!
Post Merge: September 08, 2010, 01:16:24 PMFellow Nigerians, let it be known to us all that if do not take active interest in what happens during the voters' registration exercise and insist that each days' list of registered voters' be published, then we would be wasting our time voting during the elections. Our votes simply won't count. Jega is only being used to try to give some level of authenticity and accuracy to an flawed process. Nigerians must demand for the daily list at every registration center. It takes only seconds to print it out.
Post Merge: September 08, 2010, 01:20:34 PMFellow Nigerians, let it be known to us all that if we do not take active interest in what happens during the voters' registration exercise and insist that each days' list of registered voters' be published, then we would be wasting our time voting during the elections. Our votes simply won't count. Jega is only being used to try to give some level of authenticity and accuracy to an already flawed process. Nigerians must demand for the daily list at every registration center. It takes only seconds to print it out. 
Post Merge: September 08, 2010, 05:09:46 PMClowns, the Tortoise and Babangida’s quest

THERE will be legions of presidential candidates for next year’s election, but I bet that the most hilarious will be former military dictator, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida. He already has in place, a band of chorus boys and unimaginative clowns with one Kassim Afegbua as lead vocalist.

Afegbua said to be Babangida’s spokesman wrote an hilarious piece titled “The Questions Babangida Wants Discussed”. Reading it makes one question the type of minds that produce the outlandish claims of the former dictator’s alleged success in government. Let us take the issue of Abuja for instance.

The committee that recommended it as the new capital of the country was set up by General Murtala Ramat Mohammed and was accepted by General Olusegun Obasanjo. The building commenced soon afterwards, especially under Alhaji Shehu Shagari and it remains a city in progress. But Afegbua wants Nigerians to believe that “it was IBB who brought us here (Abuja)”

Under Shagari, Abuja was already being put to use, but Babangida suddenly moved the capital to Abuja not because it was completed or he was visionary, but following the April 22, 1990 Gideon Orkar coup attempt in which he almost lost his life; a fearful Babangida ran to Abuja to hide under the Aso Rock and barricade himself.

In the process, civil servants were literally frog-jumped to Abuja under appalling conditions resulting in many broken marriages. Due to Babangida’s disorderly retreat to Abuja, accommodation was mainly not available for the public servants forced to relocate and many had to live in their offices, this also led to the evil ‘Abuja marriage’ phenomenon. Is this the type of “success” story a serious-minded person would peddle as a campaign material?

Afegbua’s primary aim in the article was to justify his principal’s paranoia for probing questions like who bombed enterprising journalist, Dele Giwa and why the sly ex-General annulled the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola? Now, despite his claims to high intelligence, Babangida has been unable in the past 17 years to give a simple or straight forward answer to why the election was annulled. In taking precious newspaper space on this issue, you would have expected a supposed spokesman to answer this question; rather Afegbua exhibited a baffling denseness.

He said the journalists who ask Babangida such simple and historically correct questions are “being lazy scholars”.
Yet his claimed ‘scholarship’ did not in any way attempt an answer, rather he makes the bizarre submission that “rather than condemn in such wholesale manner the annulment, we should also be able to commend the man who made the election to be credible in the first place”.

Were Babangida to be president next year(God forbid!) is this the type of answers we will get to serious national issues?

What do you make of other incredible claims of the ‘megaphone’ such as that Babangida retired “from service to his fatherland” when we all know that in order to save the fatherland from the destructive clutches of Babangida, he was forced out of office and power. What about the delusionary claims that “IBB is today undoubtedly the father of modern Nigeria” and that he produced “well celebrated icons as Tony Elumelu, Jim Ovia and the Dangotes of today”? Babangida’s team celebrates his poverty-inducing Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP)as testimony of his ‘success’ in office!

That is the IMF-imposed programme that destroyed local industries and wiped out factories, including in the textile and footwear sectors, grossly devalued the currency, destroyed the education system, sharply increased the prices of petroleum products while delivering darkness rather than electricity. Only adjusted minds will celebrate such tragedy.

The World Bank distanced itself from IBB’s tragic economic policies while years back, the IMF apologised to humanity for imposing SAP on African countries. Is this what any serious presidential aspirant will celebrate? Perhaps he assumes that Nigerians are daft.

If Babangida is allergic to questions on Dele Giwa’s murder and the annulment, can he explain why his regime grinded basic human rights into the dust? Why it banned viable professional and mass based organisations like the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) and criminalised any discourse opposed to his programmes such as SAP and his fake ‘Transition Programme’? Why is he silent on the massacre of pro- democracy protesters in 1993 and that of Ahmadu Bello University students, seven years earlier?

Well, Babangida says he is focused on the future; he deceives gullible Igbo elites that if they campaign for him, he would spend only one term and hand over power to them in 2015. All such elites need do is ask themselves which of his numerous promises in office did Babangida fulfil? For instance, he promised to hand over power four times:1990, 1992, January 1993 and August 1993 and four times he failed to do so before his ouster.

Today, he promises, Nigerians “true federalism”, state police, resource control and a corruption-free society. How can a man whose regime had corruption as an abiding state policy, promise to fight corruption? Well, he can start first by telling us where he got the billions of dollars in his possession and how much tax he paid on them.

Babangida acknowledges the massive opposition against him but says there are also those who love him. This doubtlessly is true: Millions in Germany loved Adolf Hitler, legions loved Benito Mussolini in Italy, General Augusto Pinochet, the butcher in Chile and his counterparts like Idi Amin in Uganda and Mobutu Seseseko in Congo were not without supporters.

The evil apartheid regime had its supporters in Pretoria, Washington and London, while the Biblical Satan has its followers. So there is nothing outstanding if Babangida has his own lovers.

Babangida is like the tortoise who is embarking on a fruitless journey, and when asked: “Mr Tortoise, Mr Tortoise, Mr Tortoise, when are you coming back?” The Tortoise replied “Not until I have been disgraced, disgraced, not until I have been disgraced!”

By Owei Lakemfa (Culled from Vanguard Newspaper, September 8, 2010)

[Emmanuel]

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The major headache of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conduct of the 2011 general elections is time, its chair, Prof. Attahiru Jega has said.

Jega said: "Time constraint is of concern, although we are doing our best to see that we overcome it. However, as I keep telling all Nigerians at every opportunity that I have, obviously, the more time we have, the better job we can do with this assignment."

Source;
The Nation

[Davincii]

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Fellow Nigerians, the die is cast and the battle lines have been drawn. Nigeria of our dreams must emerge in 2011. Let every force of darkness and every force of retrogression retreat. The might of the people will prevail!

[Emmanuel]

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As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares for the voters’ registration exercise, the Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has urged the commission to ensure that all those who have attained the age of 18 and above are allowed to register.

Governor Amaechi made the appeal on Friday 3 Sept when the New Rivers State Resident INEC Commissioner, Mr Aniedi Ikoiwak, paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Port Harcourt.

[Davincii]

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Voter Registration: INEC Favours Chinese Firm
•Retires three deputy secretaries
From Chuks Okocha in Abuja , 09.03.2010
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may have concluded plans to award the contract for the equipment to be used for voter registration to a Chinese company, THISDAY was informed last night.

THISDAY checks revealed yesterday that INEC may have decided against local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in the lucrative contracts.

The source said while INEC was subjecting the Nigerian OEMs to integrity checks at the State Security Service (SSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), it had already commenced negotiations with a Chinese firm, Lenovo, for the same contract.
The source quoted a mail marked INEC/CH/GC/073/ VOL.1 and dated August 18, 2010 to buttress the argument that the integrity checks might be mere formality. INEC later wrote to local companies weeks after.

The letter to the Beijing, China-based company was said to have been prompted by the China office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Lenovo’s address is given as 6 Venture Road, Haidian District, Beijing, China 100085.
It was personally signed by the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega.

The letter reads: “Further to the enquiries by the China office of the UNDP on behalf of the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria regarding the acquisition of hardware for Direct Data Capture, I write to request for additional information from you. In order to complete the procurement process, the government of Nigeria would want to know the prices and delivery timelines for different quantities of equipment.”

The letter listed the equipment to include laptop, high resolution webcam (4megapixels), fingerprint scanner at least 600dpi, portable standalone printer with battery pack, back up battery, semi-rugged casings to contain afore-listed items and cost of air freight.

The letter also requested the Chinese company to quote delivery timelines ranging from two weeks, four weeks and six weeks, adding: “in addition to the above, you should provide the cost validity period for the entire package”.
The letter was concluded thus: “We would appreciate your timely response to be specific by Friday, August 20, 2010 at the latest to enable us complete further arrangements.”

However, a senior INEC source faulted the letter as giving advantage to the China firm “because no such benevolence was extended to any other company prospecting for the job. I think we are getting things wrong by allowing the UNDP to lead us by the nose”.

THISDAY checks at the commission revealed that the Chinese firm has thrown the request back to INEC because it could not reach firm commitment on terms of payment.

A Kenyan, Mr Nyimbi Odero, is said to be the technical consultant pushing for INEC to patronise the Chinese OEM. Some INEC officials and ICT stakeholders spoken to queried the hiring of a Kenyan for such a sensitive job when there are many competent Nigerians that could effectively handle the job.

THISDAY checks revealed that while Jega was exchanging mails with the UNDP-promoted Chinese OEM, he was setting other parameters for other OEMs involved in the competition for the job.
For instance while INEC had as early as August 18, 2010 written to the Chinese company, it released to other prospecting companies a “Request for Quotation” dated  August 29, 2010 and marked INEC-2010-VR-RFQ002 in which it spelt out its desired optimisation for the systems to be supplied.

Another sour point is the commission’s insistence to use Linux operating system (OS) as against the more popular and flexible operating system from Microsoft.

This, THISDAY gathered, could pose serious technical challenges to the INEC staff and could rubbish the registration process.
Meanwhile, the commission has retired three of its deputy secretaries appointed in 2009. They are Steve Osemeke, the Deputy Secretary in charge of Publicity and Information, Ademola Johnson, the Deputy Secretary in charge of Administration and Alhaji Ibrahim Kagara.

Their letters of retirement were signed by the INEC Secretary, Alhaji Abduallhi Kaugama. According to the letters, their retirement was sequel to the civil service rules requiring all directors who have served more than two terms of eight years to disengage from service. The letters were dated August 30, 2010.

Culled from ThisDay, September 3, 2010.
Post Merge: September 03, 2010, 08:51:23 PMThis is exactly what I was talking about. Jega is acting out a script written from above. They are looking for a means to take the money out.
Post Merge: September 03, 2010, 08:53:36 PMThisDay says it all. Fellow Nigerians, what do you think?

[Davincii]

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Jonathan cannot guaranty free and fair elections in 2011. Only us, the people of this country can ensure it's free and fair by owning the processes and actively participating and guarding our votes to a logical conclusion! Fellow Nigerians, the time of self-pity is over. We must claim what is rightfully ours! Sovereignty belongs to the people  and not to ignominious thieves and vagabonds in high places. They do not have the maturity to repent and cannot be remorseful for all they've done to us all these years. We were trusting and left it all to the innocent looking Badluck Jonathan to stir the ship of state out of trouble waters. Instead, what we get is a slap in the face of 150 million intelligent, hard working and capable Nigerians by a few criminals. Fellow Nigerians, we cannot continue to be laughing stock in the eyes of the whole world. It's time to step in and wrest power from these sons of satan who tear us apart with all kinds of religious propaganda and every worn out political trick (they have no new ones). Fellow Nigerians, even fools become wise when you do the same tricks all the time. We only can rescue our nation. We must show these crooks in words and action we mean business. Nigeria must work. None of these inglorious bastards must come even a billion miles close to power in 2011. The choice is yours and min. We have the power. We have the vote. We can cotrol the process by being involved actively.
Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 08:09:06 AMI really wonder who the losers are who are campaigning for materials that are not marketable and dead on arrival – so called presidential candidates. These are the same elements who you find around every government house. They are a shameless lot who have no pedigree but are forever cursed to be hangers-on, beggarly and miserly. They are in themselves failed persons who have nothing to contribute to Nigeria's development but they fan the embers of crises that claim the lives of innocent people. They are charlatans, political gigolos and prostitutes who must do this as a means of survival! May GOD frustrate all their plans and bring them to the threshing floor! May they be disgraced utterly for all the pains they have caused this country.
As for the youths, let us unite as one voice and refuse to be used by these inglorious bastards to destroy ourselves and what is left over of this charred country for us to salvage. Let us express our anger and bitterness and disdain on election day by expressing unequivocally our desire for true change! Do not let them divide us with their usual tricks that promote ethnicity, religious sentiments and other devices they may come up with. If they must fight dirty, let them put their own children to lead their battles.
Let these sons of the devil and evil cults be placed where they truly belong: the dustbin of history!
 Fellow Nigerians, enough is enough. It does not take anything else to change this country other than to stand as one and resist with one voice these invading locusts. That is why they gather money at the expense of the people in the national assembly haplessly and give nothing to their constituents. They have all shown who they truly are. None of them is free of guilt of betraying the people's mandate as there had not been one voice amongst them who has raised objection to their callous self-appropriation of the nation's wealth. They exploit the ignorance of the people and loopholes in the law to steal legally. For how long do you think we must continue like this? Let us do the needful. Terminate the rule of the oppressors in 2011. They have betrayed us all, north, east, west, south or in whatever colorations they seek to divide us for their selfish interests!

This is our real first step as a nation to put our nation back on track. The problem with Nigeria is not the average Hausa man or the Ibo man, or the Yoruba man or the Calabar man or the Urhobo man nor the average person from any other tribe or ethnic group in Nigeria. Our problem is these criminals whom the law is afraid of because they made those laws to favour themselves and so they exploit the loopholes to their advantage, evading prosecution. Known thieves laud it over us. We prosecute them in the court of public opinion.
Many of us were little children when IBB foisted the most backward government on us. There are many more adults who were old enough to take the bull by it's horns but failed to do so out of fear of the unknown. Today, we suffer, including they themselves, the consequences of their inaction: a battered economy, crippled political growth, enthroned corruption and wickedness of the highest order. Let there be no Ibo or Yoruba or Hausa man. Let there be true Nigerians whose hearts are set on an irreversible goal to redeem this country from the fangs of these devils. Or should this country remain a big fat fool beyond age 50? The choice is yours and mine to make come 2011!

'You know that most of our politicians do not have jobs. Once they leave office, they would not have any source of income again. And let me tell you, by the time Jonathan declares and is given the PDP ticket, all the governors including the ones who have been kicking against it would fall in line. That is where we lack culture of consistency, resistance and commitment to the common good. We have lost our values and people talk from all sides of their mouth and these are the same people we call our leaders.' Alhaji Shettima Yerima is the president, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and youth leader of Pro-National Conference (PRONACO).

Let the north or south or east or west  put their best foot forward, not these dying criminals. Nigerians (north, south, east and west) will vet their programmes and their strategies for achieving them. Nigerians are discerning enough to choose the best! Besides, who appointed those big fools in the PDP to speak for Nigerians? Fellow Nigerians, do you ever recollect appointing those self-seeking buffoons to speak for you? Then they do not speak our minds!

Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 08:40:43 AMFellow Nigerians, the 2011 elections are here. The crooks have begun their campaign, dangling dry carrots at us! They have begun distributing bicycles, wheel chairs and sewing machines and some bags of rice. Many Nigerians have mortgaged their future and that of their children by taking these life-crippling carrots over the years and that is why we are where we are today (let's face the truth): a big fool at 50!

Remember, all they dangle at you were gotten with your own money (OUR MONEY) stolen by these thieves and used to keep unwary Nigerians from standing for their rights. They got there only by the foolishness of many a Nigerian who dine and wine with cursed thieves.

How long, Fellow Nigerians, must we watch these people laud it over us? Arfe we doomed to be forever slaves to these real slaves (they are the real slaves to corruption and gross immorality and endangered species who fight dirty to become powerful)?

These are men and women, most of whom have no known means of lively hood at all. Even those of them who had been in the public service and have retired have nothing they do for a living and are known to have frittered away their disengagement benefits on meaningless ventures including sleeping around with any and everything out there. Some of them have never even worked before. Now they turn our girls and mothers into "BA's" (Bed Assistants) in Abuja (that is the latest trend, every girl is becoming sham PA to our disgraceful National Assembly members and governors even with the active acquiescence of their mothers and fathers) as a means survival!

Yet when the get there, they steal to high heavens and turn back enslave the people.

This must stop! We have a sure chance to do this in the 2011 elections.
Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 08:53:41 AMJust yesterday, I drove past PDP's National Secretariat and I saw what made me weep for our dear nation and her people. Some political thief had gone there on a visit from eastern Nigeria and had hired a handful of young Nigerians with placards to chant his praises in songs in his honour. I watched as a crop of intelligent, energetic youths kept in poverty by a failed system run by these same crooks dance energetically and chant vigorously in honour of someone they do not even believe in but for the mere pittance they would be giving for being willing hirelings. They exhibit so much energy and youthfulness that could have been channeled to productive ventures. What a shame! These Nigerians do not realize that what they were being paid to do all that trash was rightfully their money in the first place - money stolen by the representative they were dancing for. Little do they realize that if that thieving representative had put the money in productive ventures, they would have been captains of industry and sef-actualize in their various professions. Or rather, little do they realize that if those monies were not stolen in the first place, there would have been enough resources to be channeled to infrastructure development, social welfare schemes, better health facilities, well funded educational system and exponential growth of our economy.
Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 08:55:29 AMWe praise and glorify obvious thieves who should be in jail and make them king over us. Where honest and sane people ins society fail to do the needful, even madmen and imbeciles will rule over them. Such is the state of our nation at age 50!

[Davincii]

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Jega says he's gone very far with preparations for the voters' registration exercise. Says the DDC is to be bought directly from the manufacturers. Says he's engaged with vendors who had submitted proposals. Then they took a look at the major manufacturers of DDC machines using the UNDP system and some manufacturers said they could not supply to Nigeria except through their local representatives. The shortlisted vendors' list was submitted to security agencies. INEC has already asked manufacturers to present their quotes and their quotations are still being considered with due diligence, confident of the manufacturers' ability to deliver the equipment. Says the commission will furnish the public on the plans as well as the cost and specifications of the equipment in due course. Says if more time were given, they would do a better job. But, if the time frame is not extended, he could not guaranty a good job, but one that is better than in similar exercises in the past. INEC is still working on the time table and has 11 more days within the provisions of the law to do so.
Post Merge: September 01, 2010, 07:25:58 AMINEC was, however, silent on the main ingredients: the software sub-system which is key and the most critical element. Then also, the business rules and procedures for the exercise which could make or mar the exercise. DDC machines alone do not guarantee success. The foregoing elements are the most critical factors to success.
Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 07:04:18 AMListen to a foreigner testify about the goodness of Nigerian people and the corruption in our governmental structures. All over the world we have a bad image because of the corruption in our government particularly from the early 80s on. Listen and learn and as 2011 approaches make sure you register to vote and vote for only honest and capable leaders. If a presidential candidate is a billionaire and you know in your heart of hearts that he does not have any known business and has spent his entire life as a public servant then there is only one way he could have made his money. Vote wisely in 2011 so your children will not have to go through what you are going through. Nasir El-Rufai
Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 07:13:56 AMFarida Waziri's recent trip to the US has enabled her to make a case for her lack luster anti-corruption drive, and to pass the buck.  And the person upon whom she is heaping the blame for her failures is her current boss: Nigeria's president, Goodluck Jonathan.

Farida told some United States officials during her recent trip that Jonathan and some of his aides have completely crippled her operation by interfering directly in her anti-corruption work.

Mrs. Waziri also told FBI trainers who visited the EFCC in Abuja that her terrible standing internationally is simply because her bosses never allow her to do her job. She gave examples of interference in the arrest and prosecution of economic criminals by the fallen former Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaaa.

She lamented that since Jonathan’s coming to power, his powerful aides (who are believed to be his Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe and the current Attorney General, Mohammed Bello Adoke) have become stumbling blocks.


 

Although Mrs. Waziri's personal corruption and incompetence serve as major impediments to any meaningful anti-corruption work, EFCC officials have told Saharareporters that since assuming office, Jonathan has gone out of his way to muzzle the EFCC even more. Last week, the AGF Adoke openly chastised the Commission over its mode of operation, asking the agency to jettison its use of strong-arm tactics to fight corruption.

Mr. Adoke’s statement was not specific to any particular case but sources told Saharareporters that one of his points of interference is Taraba State where the EFCC had planned to act on a series of powerful petitions against the governor, who had embezzled large sums of the monies belonging to the state. But Mr. Adoke's wife was quickly appointed as the Attorney General in the state, in order to forestall any further investigation of the case.

Also last week, Mr. Adoke reportedly donated N250 million to the Jonathan campaign to forestall his removal after he said that former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida would not be investigated for stealing $12.4 billion Gulf oil windfall.  That statement was said to have rankled the presidency.

Mrs. Waziri’s complaint to the United States complicates Jonathan’s anti-corruption spinelessness.  During his visit to the country a few months ago, he swore to the Obama administration and foreign policy specialists that he would move quickly on corruption.  That was interpreted partly to mean he would relieve Mrs. Waziri, who is in the bad books of several international anti-corruption agencies, of her job.

Culled from Sahara Reporters
Post Merge: September 02, 2010, 07:22:15 AMFellow Nigerians. These guys will keep on exposing themselves. Watch out for more intriguing revelations as the elections approach. Jonathan promised Nigerians free and fair elections while he presides over massive stealing of our nations's resources. He has chosen to condone fraudulent activities in the national assembly and across the states and local governments of the federation simply because he himself is benefiting from the stealing going on at the presidency. He has also condoned it because he believes that all the actors in this looting exercise before the elections are going to help him win elections in 2011. Jonathan is a disgrace and an utter embarrassment to every well meaning Nigerian who had fought in words and actions to ensure his ascendancy to the Presidency!

[Davincii]

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@Emmy: Very true!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 07:59:17 PMNigeria is about to become the laughing stock of the international community if Prof. Jega’s advisers from the academia are allowed to have their way by foisting a supposedly “free” open source biometric voters’ registration software on the Nation.

Nowhere in the world has a large-scale biometric voters' enrolment project been carried out using open source software downloaded from the internet, as INEC seems to be determined to do. If this was at all possible, then there would be no need for any country to spend millions of dollars on the purchase of similar software for voters’ registration as is indeed the case everywhere. Rather, all they would need to do is to download the software for free from the internet! But the reality is that it takes a considerable amount of manpower, time and resources to develop a world-class voters’ registration software that is suitable for use in a complex, large-scale biometric enrolment projects like INEC intends to carry out in Nigeria. 

How then did INEC get the idea of developing, in a few weeks, what typically takes several months and even years to develop? The reasons become clearer when one considers the fact that this unrealistic idea originated from the representative of Google in Nigeria – Mr. Nyimbi Odero – who is apparently set to be appointed by INEC as the Consultant for the voters’ registration exercise. What is very curious is the fact that Google just recently funded a large part of a 3 billion naira investment in wireless network infrastructure for the University of Nigeria Nsukka, the same institution where Prof. Oke Ibeanu, the Chief Technical Adviser to the INEC Chairman, currently serves as a Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Social Sciences. Perhaps even more curious are the strong indications that Google is considering a similar investment in Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, where another social scienties and Special Assistant to the INEC Chairman, currently serves. The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from the insistence of these Social Scientists, turned “ICT Experts”, is that Google is being rewarded with the role of Consultant and Software Provider for the Voters’ Registration exercise in exchange for agreeing to invest in the academic institutions of Prof. Jega’s close Advisers. It is worth noting that Google is not in the business of voters’ registration software and that the Google Office Lead (Mr. Nyimbi Odero) has no experience whatsoever in the complex process of implementing biometric voters’ registration anywhere in Nigeria, or in his native country of Kenya for that matter.

Culled From Sahara Reporters, August 25, 2010

What a shame! What a pity! What a confused, inept and frustrated lot! Nigerians, wake up! Fools on the prowl again! Nigerian university dons? Disgraceful lot! Modern Illiterates and corrupt fools! What a shameful lot!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 08:11:13 PMJega gropes in the dark, confused and unsure! He's desperate (and his accomplices in the presidency and the national assembly are too) to find new means of taken the stolen money out! What an unintelligent way to do so! This is going to be a huge fiasco!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 08:19:02 PMJega gropes in the dark, confused and unsure! He's desperate (and his accomplices in the presidency and the national assembly are too) to find new means of taking the stolen money out! What an unintelligent way to do so! This is going to be a huge fiasco!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 04:44:55 AMI give it to Jega. He's never been a thief! But the criminals in the corridors of power have used his now doubtable credibility to mask their real intent: to steal the nation's wealth further. However, the man they chose is in a state of confusion and is doing a bad job, running left and right looking for a way out! God will surely disgrace this lot!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 04:45:57 AMBeyond political theories, the man, sincerely does not know what to do. He's so confused and beating about the bush!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 04:50:18 AMHe's gotten the money. But has no clear plan how to use it. All the moves he's making now should have been settled long ago, if there was really a plan other than to rip the nation off. Fellow Nigerians, let them keep on fooling themselves. WE SHALL ATTAIN THE NIGERIA OF DREAMS. The plans of the Kingdom of Darkness SHALL BE FRUSTRATED!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 05:05:40 AMFellow Nigerians, do not be deceived to think that the presence of policemen at the polling stations would stop rigging. They have been part and parcel of electoral fraud, being willing agents in the hands of fraudsters we call politicians. Stay back to protect your votes until the result is declared at the polling station. Keep a tab of the results. Insist on the pasting of the list of registered voters each day of the registration exercise on the walls of the centre at the end of the exercise everyday. They have no excuse not to do that if Jega's truly sincere. If the police are truly interested in being useful, they should not be 500m around the vicinity of polling centres. Rather, they should screen people approaching the polling stations and ensure that they are not carrying weapons (of mass destruction) and if they are, they should be arrested and prosecuted immediately. The truth is, if there's anyone around a polling station with a weapon, then the police have connived with the politicians. If Jega really understands technology, the postings at the end of the day from each centre can be digitally stamped and made immutable by those entering the records. They can have just READ ONLY access after the postings. All the foregoing will help streamline the business processes for voters' registration and the actual elections and eliminate bottlenecks that politicians do exploit. Then also, each registration officer can should only be granted access to the system electronically during offical registration and voting hours. They MUST be electronically locked out of the system outside the offical time frame and their access rights MUST expire at the end of the last days of each exercise.
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 05:10:00 AMThis way also, the need to escort the registration and polling materials to and from the venues of the exercise will be eliminated.
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 05:14:04 AMThe only way a fraud can be perpetrated is at the INEC Headquarters. Where the originally posted records are tampered with, we know how to smoke it all out even if the original data is deleted using IT Forensics techniques. Besides, every community where voting and registration exercise is carried out already has the genuine daily results.
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 05:15:41 AMJega, please stop beating about the bush! We want results and a clear action plan which should have been made public by now!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 05:30:39 AMIt is also very critical that the process of image, finger-print and data capture, and the print-out of each voters' card be streamlined. Each capture cycle (i. e. Image Capture, Finger-Print Capture and BioData Entry and Print-Out of voter's card) should not exceed two minutes averagely. As soon as people begin to arrive, there should be an organized queue and no one should be allowed to jump the queue no matter who he/she is. This can be achieved if DDC System operators are well trained.
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 05:31:34 AMEach centre should have an IT expert (not a chosen family member or a friends relative who lacks the know-how and only claims to be an IT expert) to manage the infrastructure and to assist the INEC officers should there be any problems. Such a person should, however, not be granted any legal access to use the registration software subsystem. His assignment should be to resolve any technical hitches quickly. If the equipment are new, there should be no major problems. But he's needed to resolve issues beyond the competence of the trained operators.
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 07:25:39 AM2011 polls: Call EFCC boss to order, group tells Adoke
By SEYE OJO
Monday, August 30, 2010


Waziri
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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A pro-democracy group, Democracy Watch yesterday cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) not to go ahead with its alleged plan to bar no fewer than 54 politicians from contesting 2011 polls.

The group appealed to the Attorney General of the Federation, Bello Adoke (SAN) and all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the EFCC boss to guide her utterances in her campaign against corruption in the country.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, a legal team of the group led by Mr. Kola Kolade, said the purported plan of the commission to stop the alleged corrupt politicians from the elections would be unconstitutional.

His words: “History will not forgive us if we don’t react to a statement in the press credited to the Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, saying that politicians or former political office holders who have cases in court or who are under investigation would be stopped from contesting election in 2011.

“We feel as lawyers that the main thing that binds us together in Nigeria or which is the supreme law over every citizen of Nigeria is the constitution of Nigeria. The constitution gives every Nigerian the right to vie for any political office of his or her choice so far as the person complies with the relevant laws, like the electoral law.
“At the same time, the law is very clear that the EFCC is only an investigative agency, an investigative arm of the executive. Therefore, the EFCC or the chairman of the EFCC cannot constitute herself into an investigator, a prosecutor and the judge. “I also want to appeal to her not to turn the EFCC to a political body or a witch-hunting body. Once you have done an investigation, let her leave the rest to the court.

“One cardinal principle of the rule of natural justice is that you cannot be a judge in your own cause. Once you are investigating a person or you are prosecuting a person, you cannot be the judge. You will wait till the determination of the court before you can say you want to stop or not.”

Kolade stated that the law stipulates that once a person is standing trail or is being investigated, there is a presumption of innocence until a court of competent jurisdiction finds such a person guilty. He appealed to the EFCC boss not to take Nigerians through the lessons learnt from the 2007 elections, which led to the “annulment of so many governorship elections as a result of exclusion of such governorship candidates by the INEC and EFCC against due process.”

In 2007, Kolade recalled, Nigerians were living witnesses to what happened to the present governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, wherein the EFCC claimed to have indicted him and his name was substituted with that of Celestine Omehia. The Supreme Court judgment, he said, faulted the indictment of Amaechi by the EFCC.

Culled From Daily Sun, Monday, August 30,2010
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 07:32:44 AMMy dear lawyers, let's all make concerted efforts to make this country work. These politicians have often done everything to use you guys to scuttle the course of justice and some of you, in the process, have made a mess of the image of your profession. But, if there's an allegation against a candidate, should that one not wait for the courts to declare him/her innocent of the charges before attempting to contest in an election? What if such a person is allowed to contest and the charges are proved beyond reasonable doubt and he's convicted, how do you get him to face the law as a Governor or President who has diplomatic immunity? In other climes, once a case is hanging on your neck, you resign to face the charges. Not so here. Instead, they use the country's resources under their control to scuttle justice! My learned gentlemen, let's be reasonable. These guys should be barred from contesting pending when thier cases are dispensed with in court!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 07:44:54 AMMadam, please, do your work fearlessly. You must be on the side of the people! Let these legal contractors always sent to foment trouble sheathe their swords and stop constituting themselves into a sources of embarrassment to the learned profession! If you guys are really interested in doing your job, please visit the police stations are solve legally all the riddles behind innocent persons who are kept in police cells for no offence and without trial for extended periods. You sure won't get millions this time from defending persons of questionable character whom you know and are convinced are thieves! Do you have to kill your consciences all the time to defend crooks? If you guys in this respected profession choose to fail yourselves, you're on your own. As for the people, we stand on truth and justice. Let EFCC do it's job. They are not agents of political vendetta! Stop being agents of political subterfuge and intrigues to cheat the people yourselves!
Post Merge: August 31, 2010, 07:47:11 AMYou guys just don't get it! Nigeria MUST WORK!

[Emmanuel]

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FG to Fund 2011 Polls with Bond Issue
Posted by on August 12, 2010 in State of State | 0 Comment
The Federal Government will fund the 2011 elections with bond issue for the electoral commission to overhaul voter lists and buy more ballot boxes ahead of January polls, Reuters reported yesterday.


Presidential and parliamentary elections are due to be held in Africa’s most populous nation in less than six months, but the electoral register is in dire need of being updated.
“The request for additional funds is to cover the cost of procuring electronic equipment and other ancillary expenses related to … a fresh voter registration exercise as well as the procurement of additional ballot boxes,” President Goodluck Jonathan said in a submission to parliament.
“We propose to fund this request by raising federal government bonds,” he wrote in the submission, which was approved by lawmakers.
The House of Representatives was expected to approve the N87.72 billion budget for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday but it did not.
Government spending was already set to rise sharply this year. Parliament earlier this year approved N445 billion  in extra spending that includes pay rises for civil servants, doctors and professors.


That supplementary spending plans comes on top of the main N4.4 trillion 2010 budget, meaning Nigeria’s fiscal deficit is expected to increase beyond 5.4 per cent of GDP, well above a 3 per cent target set just three years ago.
The finance ministry has warned that government revenues, mostly from oil sales, would not be enough to fund the budget and that the OPEC member would likely have to use up its windfall oil savings or borrow more.


Parliament last month passed a constitutional amendment bringing elections forward to January, leaving little time for reforms needed to avoid a repeat of chaotic 2007 polls.
An electoral roll riddled with fictitious names and omitting legitimate voters was one of the main problems at the 2007 polls, which were so marred by ballot stuffing and intimidation that observers deemed them not to have been credible.
INEC has said the spending plan was largely for the purchase of 120,000 electronic voter registration machines, including laptop computers, finger print scanners, cameras and printers to issue voter cards.


Nigeria’s debt market is deepening but is still dominated by government bonds, which make up some 95 percent of the market. The government recently cut transaction costs and removed taxes on bond issuance, lowering the cost of borrowing.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s second-biggest economy issues sovereign bonds every month as part of measures to restructure its short-term treasury bills to long-dated instruments, to manage liquidity and help curb inflationary pressure.

Culled from ThisDay, August 12, 2010
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:09:55 AMThey borrow plunder the nation's revenues, yet we see nothing! They borrow to line their pockets, empower their lovers and children who spend it on meaningless ventures. They lie to us it's for elections. They dangle the luscious carrots and whip us in the head when we fall for the trick. Jonathan has wrecked the Nigerian economy. He just does not qualifiy to be president. He shall surely account for all his thieving deeds along with his cronies sooner than they think!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:12:21 AMThey stash away so much to spend in hell bribing satan for a choice spot!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:23:26 AMDear Nigerians, please vote wisely! Vote out a man who sincerely and innocently wrecks and loots the treasury and leaves the economy worse than he meant it. All the so called bail-out plans for manufacturers and other sectors are sham and beautiful plots to distract us from seeing the real intent to steal our treasury dry! This is the state of our economy at the moment. Nigeria has gone broke again!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:24:47 AMThe talk about free and fair elections is meant to divert our attention from what's happening to the economy.
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:40:13 AMSuddenly, Jonathan the liar shifts the goal post to 2012 and gives us excuses for not delivering on the promises he made on power. That goes to show that he does not have even the minutest understanding of the issues affecting the power sector: mainly corruption! Or rather, he has chosen to pretend for two reasons: he is stealing himself using fronts and does not want to stir the hornet's nest so he does not get stung; he  wants to be seen as having the solution to power problem and so ensured the mere window-dressing we see right now in the name of marginal power improvement to get our votes as the messiah to continue his good works (?). Even as we ask the anti-corruption agencies to ensure that no criminal contest in the next round of elections, we the people must also ensure that these criminals in high places who have insulated themselves in the law and steal legally both in the national assembly and the presidency and across the states and local governments are roundly defeated and put where they really belong. Don't forget, they are desperate as they must remain there to cover up. But, fellow Nigerians, it is left to us to change the tone and to play the music we desire to hear!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:43:28 AMLet us go all out to own the processes leading to the elections and the actual exercise! That is why Jega cannot accept to use the solution offered by NigCOMSAT: a ready and workable solution. He has to get back to Jonathan and all those who have interests in the monies set aside to be stolen in the name of elections. GOD will surele disgrace and expose them left, right and center. We await them all on election day!
Post Merge: August 30, 2010, 06:45:00 AMLet us go all out to own the processes leading to the elections and the actual exercise! That is why Jega cannot accept to use the solution offered by NigCOMSAT: a ready and workable solution. He has to get back to Jonathan and all those who have interests in the monies set aside to be stolen in the name of elections. GOD will surely disgrace and expose them left, right and center. We await them all on election day!

Of course imagine the huge sum of money, one will see that there are those(govt officials) who will partake in the sharing of the excess budget for the project.