Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello has denied reports that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a zoning arrangement ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
There have been growing calls for the APC to zone the 2023 presidential ticket to the Southern part of Nigeria.
Recall Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State had said that the southern region of the country should be allowed to produce the next president of Nigeria in 2023.
Bello joined his Kaduna counterpart, Governor Nasir El-Rufai and other prominent northern politicians who had made similar calls in recent days.
But speaking to reporters in Abuja over the weekend, Yahaya Bello said anyone from any zone was free to contest for presidency in 2023, as there was no zoning arrangement in the APC.
He said: “There is nothing like zoning in our party. In 2015, there was no zoning; many aspirants, including former governor Rochas Okorocha contested.
“In 2019, there was no zoning; people in APC were not courageous enough to contest with President Muhammadu Buhari.”
Asked if he is interested in the 2023 presidency, Bello said: “If it’s the will of God for me to become president in this country at the right time, I will be.”
The Kogi governor reiterated that he would defeat any candidate he decides to contest against for the 2023 presidency with a record-breaking vote.
“I will record a vote that has never been recorded in Nigeria by the grace of God. But that’s not the issue right now; the issue is there must be Nigeria before we talk of 2023,” the governor added.
As Nigeria commenced its vaccination against the lethal coronavirus infection on Friday, Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has said he won’t receive the vaccine even as his colleagues are expected to receive shots of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines in the coming days.
Bello spoke on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme.
He also said there was nothing medically wrong with him and he won’t allow the people of the state to be used as “guinea pigs”.
But speaking on Friday, the Kogi governor said, “COVID-19 is not our business in Kogi State. We have more pertinent issues and more pertinent matters that we are attending to in Kogi State. Insecurity we met, we’ve tackled it and several others. Disunity we met on ground and we have united Kogi State today not COVID-19.
“COVID-19 is just a minute aspect of what we are treating or handling in Kogi State; there have been outbreaks of Lassa Fever and Yellow Fever and those were handled without making noise about it.
“The last Yellow Fever (outbreak), we vaccinated out people against Yellow Fever, we encouraged them, we educated them and they felt the impact…If the Federal Government is gracious enough and give us COVID-19 vaccines, we will equally sensitise our people, people who wish to come and take can come and take but I am not going to subject the people of Kogi State to vaccines or vaccination and I will not make them the guinea pigs.
Continuing, Bello said, “Mr President is the leader of this country. I respect him so high; all of us respect him so much. We love him and he is leading by example. If he needs to take the vaccines and he takes it, it is a welcome development.
“As far as I am concerned, I as a person, I don’t need to take vaccines. There is nothing wrong with me, I am hale and hearty. I am 100 per cent healthy…I won’t take any vaccine.”
I was lured into homosexuality by 18-year-old boy, 42-year-old man alleges
A 42-year-old man, Seyi Balogun arrested by the Ondo state security outfit codenamed Amotekun has alleged that he was lured and seduced into homosexuality by an 18-year-old boy, Tosin Arifalo.
The two suspects were arrested by the security outfit at Kajola in Ijoka, Akure, the Ondo state capital.
Vanguard gathered that the suspects were caught in the act by personnel of Amotekun and have been transferred to the office of the Civil Defence for further interrogation.
According to Balogun,” I was never into it before, it was Tosin that came to me saying he loves me.
”I don’t like homosexual act, he seduced me, he lured me into it. I told him to give me rest of mind, but when he was threatening me I have to obey him.
“Since then, we have been having sex together. What I can say is that the devil caused it, and I have warned him not to come to my house again.
But Tosin also in an interview narrated how he was lured by Balogun adding that they have had sex three times before the bubble burst. “How can I lure him into it. He’s saying the opposite.
”Anytime he wanted to have sex with me, he would take me to his house at Kajola in Ijoka.
According to him ”it was Balogun that introduced me to one of his friends, Olojijo who had been having sex with me too”
Tosin added that Olojijo had sex with him many times.
Their neighbours who witnessed the arrest described the act as “sinful and an abominable act”
In a bid to further boost security in the state, the Government of Oyo State has approved the procurement of 20 units of JAC FRISON TX pick-up vans at the cost of N319 million. The government, also, in line with the commitment of Governor ‘Seyi Makinde’s administration to remodel and equip at least one Primary Health Centre in each of the 351 Wards of the state, approved the renovation of 299 Health Centres across the state.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the approval for the procurement of the vehicles and the remodelling of 299 PHCs were part of the resolutions reached at the Executive Council Meeting held on Wednesday. The statement indicated that a press briefing was addressed by the Oyo State Commissioner for Information, Dr. Wasiu Olatubosun, his counterpart in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Bashiru Bello, and the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral resources, Barr.Temilolu Ashamu.
Olatubosun, while speaking on the decisions taken, said that the approval for the procurement of the vehicles was in line with the government’s drive to secure the lives and properties of the people in the state. He said that the 5th State Executive Council meeting of 2021 approved the procurement of the 20 units of JAC FRISON TX pick-up vans at a total cost of N319 million.
He said: “In view of the current security challenges facing the country, the state government has been proactive about it and it is necessary to boost the efforts of the administration in further arresting the situation by procuring additional vehicles for the security agencies and other exigency purposes. “In view of this, the State’s Executive Council, at the 5th Exco meeting of 2021 held today, Wednesday, approved the procurement of 20 units of JAC FRISON TX pick-up vans to boost security in the state and the cost is N319,000,000.” Similarly, his counterpart in the Health Ministry, Dr. Bashiru Bello, said the council approved the renovation and reconstruction of 299 primary health care facilities in the state at the cost of Six billion Naira N6,000,000,000, using the Alternative Project Funding Approach (APFA).
He equally added that the primary health care board will renovate the remaining 52 primary health care centres to make 351 wards as promised by the governor. According to him, “we are here to inform you that today, the State Executive Council approved the Alternative Project Funding Approach, APFA, for the renovation and reconstruction of some primary health facilities in Oyo State. “A total number of 299 have been given to two different firms and this is on the ground that the project will commence and, within two months, over 20 per cent of the project would have been completed.
“His Excellency has approved that there will be one per ward, and since we have 351 wards, the primary health care board will take care of the remaining 52 primary health care centres to be renovated and remodelled. “Mind you, the state is not putting in any money as of now. It is when the project continues that the payment will be spread over a period of 12 months. The Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources Barr. Temilolu ‘Seun, in his contribution, said that the Council also granted approval for the connection of 28 Transformers across three Senatorial Districts of the state at the cost of N247,000,000. He said: “It will be recalled that some years back, transformers were procured and distributed to local government areas across the state, many of which have actually not been connected or energized.
“Aware of the financial constraints that the state, the country and the world are facing at the moment, we decided that it was cost-effective to commence a campaign of connecting the transformers that are already within our society. “Consequently, the Council approved that the campaign begins and should be phased, by connecting 28 transformers across each senatorial district in the state.
“It is a phased implementation plan, and this is just the first phase, which is being announced. The transformers that I mentioned are already within the society and they are procured with public funds but they are not of use for members of the society at the moment. “We have taken a deliberate decision to energize those transformers so as to derive value for the monies that have been expended. “The cost implication is about N247,000,000.”
Tinubu, A Failure That Should Never Become Nigeria’s President
Nemesis does not only befall those who deliberately impoverish their people, it consumes their children too. The socio-political space in Nigeria has been polluted with criminality.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a sociopath and betrayer of trust against MKO Abiola during NADECO era, is a desperate politician who is unmoved by the current crisis rocking the nation. The country can burn if it so desire, provided that his ambition to clinch power in 2023 is intact.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who claims to be a more profound nationalist than Chief Obafemi Awolowo, has not even achieved an atom of Awolowo’s achievement. His colloquium has been a jamboree that hasn’t achieved any result, however infinitesimal. Neither did he continue from what Awolowo left behind.
It’s the empty vessel that’s usually noisy, the one containing water isn’t. The legacy Chief Obafemi Awolowo left behind, such as the democratisation of education and several others, remain relevant several years later. The ideology of Tinubu is not only to ruin any organisation but also to hijack it as his own private entity – Lagos and Osun states are examples of why Tinubu must be avoided by all means – like a plague.
Awolowo was a known freedom fighter, who fought for justice and equal rights throughout his lifetime. He contributed in the fight for independence, liberated his own people and gave them western education.
On the contrary, Tinubu has not only impoverished Lagosians, he made sure thousands of them are out of school so he can use them as hoodlums during elections. For instance, how many “agberos” has he given free education or scholarship? Instead, he arms them with tools to mob opposition members, his critics and then imposes himself over the will of the people.
Awolowo was a promoter of peace and unity, his immense contributions towards the development of Nigeria was as a result of free education and free healthcare system for the children in the Western Region, as it was then known.
Tinubu was an opportunist who rode on Awolowo’s establishment in the South-West, the aforementioned achievements of Chief Obafemi Awolowo can never be compared to a treacherous eight-year rule of Tinubu as a Governor of Lagos State. These eight years were wasted years that amounted to a fruitless journey that bore no good seed.
Tinubu deceptively claimed that Major-General Muhammadu Buhari would make heaven as a second home in Nigeria, but Buhari brought hell instead. Indeed, someone whose character is questionable in the US should never be trusted with a sensitive position in Nigeria, let alone becoming President! May it never happen!
His motives and ways of manipulating people against each other is another matter entirely. He previously said: “I don’t believe in one Nigeria.” Such a man should not be considered a true democrat.
Those who don’t believe in one Nigeria like Tinubu will do all sort of things to cause chaos in the country just to gain access to power. They will mobilise thugs to deal with people who kick against their political ambition. Tinubu is well-known as the grand patron of thugs in the entire South-West.
He was indicted by the United States Government for drug and fraud related offences in 1993, to the extent that he forfeited 460,000 US Dollars to the United States government. So, apparently, the National Leader of APC, as they call him, has some unanswered questions to answer over drug crimes and criminal activities he reportedly committed in the United states.
Lagos State under his watch as governor was bastardised and ruined to the most miserable state. He acquired lands and properties, converted them with the state treasuries as his personal businesses.
Remember when he justified the killing of Pa Fasoranti’s daughter who was killed by Fulani herdsmen? It is also obvious that Tinubu has no sympathy or respect for humanity. None at all!
Tinubu who used semen as soap in the United states, urine as a water in Nigeria, can never in anyway stand to become Nigeria’s president. Nigerians should never again support a mediocre, anti-democratic forces who pose as democrat in agbada, people with shady records or criminals who cannot be trusted with basic things!
Orun has been translated as Heaven.But the truth is Orun and Islamic / Christian Heaven doesn’t mean the same thing. The idea of heaven filled with golden streets, 72 virgins and mansion is Alien to us. Also the concept of Heaven is UP and Hell is Down is foreign to us. infact, we don’t have the equivalent of Hellfire in Yoruba language .. The word hell was translated as Orun Apadi. Apadi literally mean “Broken Pot” The original stance of afterlife of the yoruba people is misconceived/altered by Islam and christianity.
So what is Orun? Orun is a contraction of Orirun. The word Orirun is formed from two words “Ori” and “Run” Ori is very important to yoruba people, that’s why you can’t see any Yoruba art or sculpture without the head, sometimes it’s just the head.
There are two types of Ori: (1) Ori Òde (Physical Head)
used extensively to mean — The top — The Physical Self(A whole) — The Pinnace — The highest point — The main place — The major point
(2) Ori Inú (Spiritual Head) — Soul — Spiritual self Used extensively as: –Destiny –Life path –Life purpose
When “Run” means: –Originated (from) –initiate (from) –stem (from)
When you put Orí-run together it means the main place of origination. The synonyms will be “The Source” The word doesn’t suggest a particular place in the sky. According to Yoruba belief, when you die, you join your soul group. It might be below the ground, Jupiter, or one of the stars. Orírun (The source) is not a specific place. They believe that when you die, you go back to that particular source you came from. Orun or Orirun is not one specific place where everybody goes. Orun is just a strong version of Orírun. There is no promise of mansions, streets filled with gold, praising a deity for eternity while others burn in hell.
In 2008 the research topic for my 2nd Masters programme was titled “International Small Arms Regime And The State:” The focus was on Africa and Nigeria.
Professor Peter Gowan had pulled me to his office and said “Do you really want to do it?” I told him I suspected Nigeria was going to be the next Ground Zero in small arms proliferation. My research topic was inspired by my own experience. I had resigned as Secretary General of the Pan Yoruba self-determination group, the Oodua People’s Congress. The founding principle of the OPC were mainly to unite peoples of Yoruba heritage, protect and defend Yoruba interests in the Nigerian federation, promote Yoruba culture, campaign for true federalism by encouraging autonomous regions and ethnic nationalities to seek self-determination and resource control within the Nigerian federation. Myself, Dr Beko Ransome Kuti who was elected Treasurer and a couple of others had been invited by the OPC leadership to help ‘sanitise’ the organisation. The organisation was before our arrival bugged down with factional conflicts. The few years I spent within the OPC exposed me to a lot of practical realities about conflicts, its management, how a simple disagreement between citizens can suddenly escalate and grow into communal conflicts with attendant violence, it also exposed character of the Nigerian State and particular the manipulative nature of elite politics.
Having failed to stem the tide of violence within the OPC and with first-hand knowledge on armed conflicts. I had always wondered why how it was so easy for none state actors to procure arms in Nigeria. Thus my research topic was going to genuinely seek knowledge. Those who know me from my University of Jos days can attest to the fact that theoretical academic exercise wasn’t my forte. Practical social science research was more appealing.
Back to my dissertation topic. Dr Marko Bojcun spotted my topic by “accident”. If I had not met Dr Bojcun, my work would have just been an “academic exercise”. Marko it was who linked me with contacts. I was privileged to visit 4 core small arms supply routes in 4 different European countries. One of the trip led me in uncovering Nigerian players in the international small arms market.
The Bosnian Connect:
A contact in Bosnia linked me up with a Nigerian player. He was then reputed as one of if not the most important Nigerian player in the illegal small arms trade. We met and he assisted in my research work. He claimed then he doesn’t supply Nigerian clients out of principle. Impressive, well connected and well-travelled, he made a good impression on me and you have to sometimes pinch yourself to remind yourself that he was dealing in items that may have caused the death of hundreds of thousands of innocent people across the globe, particularly Africa. But, he was convinced this was business, he wasn’t responsible for what end users do with the ‘commodity’.
Anyway it later turned out he had lied to me about not supplying arms in Africa. I only found out by a twist of faith in incidents related to the bombing that took place in Abuja, the Nigerian capital on the 1st October 2010.
I was at the eagle Square, I was invited to the ceremony marking Nigeria’s Independence as a guest of the Nigerian information Minister Dora Akunyili. I was actually in Nigeria entirely for a scoop we were working on for Sahara Reporters. Mrs Akunyili always made it a point to reach out to those who may be seen as opposed to the government to take part in national events. At the Eagle Square a bomb went off, I was with my friend Egghead Odewale, I was recoding the ceremony at the centre of the square, but we rushed from the square towards the sound, we were just outside the venue when the 2nd bomb went off, we later discovered they were car bombs.
The Abuja bomb incident led the Nigerian secret police Directorate of State Security Service to raid some homes across Nigeria, just by chance whilst preparing to leave Nigeria I saw the DSS spokesperson Marilyn Ogar displayed some recovered arms and military hardware on TV. I recognised something. Those arms, hardware, something familiar. Something recognisable in some of the items I had come across years back during my research and exchange of samples and photographs with my Nigerian contact for my research work.
I put a call through to the Nigerians arms dealer I had met during my research, we had maintained contacts over the years, mainly exchanging views on the state of Nigeria and particularly the degradation in the Niger Delta region. He did not need to say much, he said he made an exemption to the rule to protect the people of the Niger Delta. Not that I was surprised but it was the ease of bringing the supplies into Nigeria. Not just AK47. But Rocket Propelled Grenades, military hardware, special forces helmet, night vision google, bomb-making explosive materials, camping materials. Some came in through Nigerian Ports, others via the ‘Fayawo’ (Yoruba street slang for smuggling) route. Ease of doing business worked best for arms dealers. Easier to import bombs than import bread.
Nigeria’s borderless international borders: The North.
The insurgents in the Northern part of Nigeria have the Americans to thank the Americans for destabilizing Libya and North Africa, A large number of fighters of Nigerian heritage who had been guests of Libyan Presidents Ghaddafi’s training camps found home within emerging terrorist in Northern Nigeria, they came with free arms, experience and resources, those in countries neighbouring Nigeria chose Nigeria rather than go back to their country of origin. Small arms proliferation in the North and basically amongst North state actors in Niger, Northern Nigeria and Chad increased.
Frontline states in Northern Nigeria maintain artificial international borders. So one could excuse the ease of small arms coming in from North Africa. Let us take Borno and Sokoto State as a case study, at least I have visited both states and saw things for myself in the Nigeria’s so called international border areas. Borno borders the Republic of Niger to the north, Lake Chad (and the Republic of Chad) to the northeast, and Cameroon to the east; at least in one of the borders that I visited, there are no physical structures dividing Nigeria from the neighbouring countries, these are vast mass lands with people settled in hamlets across ungoverned territories, you only need to approach the official border which is usually a wooden plank on the road and a small building to stamp your passports.
Sokoto state borders the Republic of Niger to the north, during my visit to the border area enroot Niger, what was described a border was basically 3 small buildings, few custom and immigration officers and a lot of commercial activities stretching miles with movements in and out on both sides, myself and my minders were the only one who bordered to approach the immigration to stamp passports. Historically the people on either side of the Niger and Nigerian lines are the same people, they do not recognise borders and move on moto cycles taking goods in and out, this are easy traffic routes for arms, drugs and contrabands, the same is applicable when I got to the Republic of Niger side.
Nigeria’s borderless international borders: The South.
Southern Nigerian borders are not as secure as most Nigerians would like to believe. I will restrict myself to what I have experienced. I live in Ayobo and from my house to the Idi Iroko an international border between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, it has taken me less than 3 hours drive at dead night, at the Idi Iroko border, you can chose to go trough the official border area but I know of at least 13 on official routes, 2nd car importers have over time created artificial routes and Nigerian Customs and Immigration are unable to catch up. They have mostly resigned themselves to collecting ‘rents’ from the smugglers. Idiroko illegal border routes is a blessing to the people in Ipokia local government of Ogun State in Nigeria. Some of the locals act as guides and minders if you want to avoid the official border posts or have something to hide with the aim of avoiding the prying eyes of security agents. The Nigeria-Benin border is one of the most porous in Southern Nigeria. Closing the border can affect big merchandise but not for the supply of small arms that can be dismantled and moved in adaptable casings.
Lagos Sea and Airports:
An illegal arms dealer once confirmed how the Nigerian airport NAHCO Cargo area is a soft spot for arms smugglers, the arms cartel in the facility are reputed to run like a cult, feared and influential. To them it is business and nothing more .
At the Lagos sea port a “runner” will sometimes send 7 containers, tease customs to discover 2 containers as a form of distraction and that is still good business for the supplier, and good public relations for the officials, everyone wins, mainly eastern European small arms main source suppliers add the “test run” cargo into the price so you lose nothing really.
The C problem:
Corruption: Officials usually turn a blind eye at our ports, the small arms trade is very organized, it is a cartel. those involved don’t see weapons of mass destruction, they see merchandise and profit. They are in our ports, customs, immigration, and military.
The I problem:
Institutional incompetence. Nigeria usually send ‘Military intelligence officers’ to its embassies across the globe, one would expect MIO’s at Nigerian embassies in small arms supply countries to gather actionable intelligence for tracking, tracing and interception, sadly this is not the case. They hardly monitor the activities of gun runners and Nigerians importing arms to cause harm against Nigerians in Nigeria.
National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Rather than focus on criminal activities, possibly one of the have very well paid officers. NIA officers are posted across the globe doing everything but the job they are paid to do. If Nigeria is to stop the menace it must review the activities of the intelligence community to work for the Nigerian people.
DSS: To be honest, the DSS is probably the most effective security apparatus only if they focus on disrupting crime against the state, particularly criminal gangs, they can embed within gangs and plant human sources, SSS did it so well against us in the student’s movement in 80’s. SSS in the past planted moles within the student and pro-democracy movements in Nigeria. In local government areas, your driver or house help could be an SSS operative, we saw how the SSS sourced the driver to Kudirat Abiola and turned him into an asset. The problem isn’t that we do not have intelligent officers but that they are used for sadistic purposes. Gone are the days when SSS would have human intelligence even with groups as radical as Boko Haram.
The L problem:
The loyalty problem is when all our security apparatus are primed by governments in Nigeria from the military era to the civilian governments to focus on the survival of elected officials than the survival of the state. Nigeria has over time diverted the best of its crime-fighting organs away from intercepting crimes to the protection of people in government.
Years back I met with a Nigerian NSA (Now late) and then later met a COAS, they served in the same government, the meeting held in the UK. I desperately raised my concerns but came out of both meetings depressed, knowing those who are appointed to protect Nigerians are as helpless as those they protect. It is the same TODAY! Not a lot has changed,
Guns are easy purchase:
So those alarmed that bandits (TERRORISTS) are brandishing military-grade weapons, are detached from the Nigerian reality, light and small arms are easily purchasable in Nigeria. All you need is to ACTIVATE a contact and delivery is assured almost risk-free.
The Nigerian government should in addition to other strategy focus on CUTTING THE SUPPLY CHAIN OF SMALL ARMS. Nigeria right now is a weak point in the West African illegal small arms supply route, apply the same strategy as you do on drug dealers. Cut the head of the snake.
Boko Haram and co may depend on captured arms, but I doubt if Nigeria has taken time to look at its stock, an audit of the National armoury to stop bad eggs who sell to willing buyers. A serious local, state and national strategy should be considered before it is too late, that is if it isn’t too late.
I have left out particular details, hoping those in government will take the hint and strategize.
For those complaining about my grammar. Sorry, wish I could do better. I hope you the grammar did not make you miss the bigger picture. The main message.
May Nigeria WIN!
The above is an expansion of a thread by Kayode Ogundamisi on Twitter under the handle @ogundamisi
Abubakar Kawu Baraje, an ex-chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC in Kwara State has traced the origin of the current insecurity in the country to the influx of Fulani from neighboring countries like Sierra Leone, Mali, Senegal, Niger and Chad brought into the country for election purposes in 2015.
He said this in Ilorin as part of activities to mark his 70th birthday anniversary.
He also backed self-help initiatives of the south west governors, stating that responses of Sunday Igboho to the herdsman menace were necessary because the Federal Government failed in its principal responsibility to secure life and property.
According to Kawu Baraje, the chairman of the breakaway faction of PDP that formed the nucleus of the current ruling party APC, the Fulani men causing havoc in the country are not aboriginal to Nigeria.
“We are not asking the right question on how the same Fulani we have been living with suddenly turned out a menace”.
“We also must ask how they had access to their guns,” the ex-party chairman asked.
Baraje stated that the Fulani men wreaking havoc in the country are not the Nigerian Fulanis.
“The security agencies have not been opened about the nature of the problem”.
“They have made arrests. Why haven’t they told the public who the terrorists are,” asked Baraje”.
According to him, the Fulani causing security problems in the country were brought in to help facilitate victory in the 2015 election”.
“After the election, the Fulanis have refused to leave. I and other like minds wrote and warned those we started APC with that this was going to happen but nobody listened,” he explained.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the National Assembly would support the Independent National Electoral Commission in its bid to provide a secure and safe voting environment, with the ultimate aim of fostering democracy by ensuring electoral integrity and transparency in the conduct of elections.
Lawan made this known while speaking during a meeting between the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Electoral Matters and a delegation from the Independent National Electoral Commission, led by its Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu.
In his presentation, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu, while underscoring the need for the creation of additional Polling Units across the country, said the current configuration of 119,973 Polling Units was established by the defunct National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) in 1996.
According to him, “the problem of voter access to Polling Units has far reaching implications for the quality of elections and democracy in Nigeria. It is tied to a most fundamental aspect of democratic governance which is the right to vote.”
He explained that previous attempts by the Commission to expand voter access to polling units resulted in the creation of “Baby units” to serve the rapidly growing Federal Capital Territory in 2007.
He added that, “in 2014, in the buildup to the 2015 general election, the Commission proposed the creation and distribution of additional 30,027 new polling units.
“This was with the objective of decongesting overcrowded polling units and dispersing voters as evenly as possible to disruptions, delays and violence on Election Day.”
The Senate President, in a speech delivered during the meeting, emphasized the need for more polling units to be created to ensure voter safety and a better voting environment in Nigeria.
According to him, the creation of more polling units across the country would facilitate ease of access and enable registered voters exercise their civic rights of participating during elections.
He said: “Let me assure the Chairman of INEC and, indeed, Nigerians, that the National Assembly will support INEC fully, completely and wholly in ensuring that we provide a better voting environment for our citizens.
“Whatever it takes, we will do so because democracy is about participation by the people, and voting is probably the most important thing a citizen could do to decide who leads him or her.
“Therefore, to provide a more convenient, safe and secured environment for voters is one thing that the National Assembly would always support INEC.
“And, we have supported INEC many times, whether through budgeting or other engagements that will facilitate the work of INEC, therefore, this one is a request that we should not even hesitate to grant. So, you have our support.
“On behalf of everyone in the National Assembly, I want to assure Nigerians that the National Assembly is ready and willing to support INEC to do better, especially in the area getting more polling units.”
The Senate President, who underscored the need for more eligible Nigerians to participate during elections, charged politicians, political parties and Civil Society Organizations to mobilize registered voters ahead of the forthcoming General Elections in 2023.
According to him, mobilizing more registered voters to participate during elections would improve Nigeria’s electoral process besides the creation of more polling units by the Commission.
“The issue is not only creating more polling units but even mobilizing voters to participate, because if you have 85 million, and at the end of the day, just about 29.8 million go out to vote, it means you have left out about 50 million Nigerians.
“And, that is not a responsibility of INEC alone. Mobilization of voters is something that politicians and political parties are also supposed to do. And, of course, the same with Civil Society Organization that have any relationship interest or concerns with voters or voting.
“So, in addition to getting more polling units, we need to also mobilize voters to go to those polling units to vote.
“Probably, now our challenge would be how do we improve from 35 percent to something like 50 percent in the 2023 Presidential election, because that confers more legitimacy when more voters come out to vote,” he said.
Lawan, therefore, urged INEC to identify communities where voter access is severely restricted as a result of insufficient polling units, and create additional polling units to enable registered voters participate during elections.
His words: “There are so many communities that go through this rigorous struggle to go and vote because of the limited number of voting or polling units, but they might have not written to you to say they need more polling units.
“I would urge INEC, therefore, that we should go beyond those communities that have requested for additional polling units.
“We should have a very fair and equitable process where even communities that have not requested for polling units are covered, because some may not even know where to go.
“Probably, those that have requested are those that are more enlightened, and there could be so many suffering from this.
“But there are so many of this kind of community suffering, so we should have a diligent process that will give people who have not requested for additional polling units to have more polling units, otherwise we may end up creating additional polling units or moving other polling units to those areas we think are not served or covered properly, and still have other people suffering in silence.”
On the Electoral Act amendment presently before the National Assembly, the Senate President said the Senate and the House of Representatives “are working so hard and the two chambers are prepared to look into the report.”
“Let me take this opportunity to assure Nigerians that the Electoral Act amendment – the Constitutional review that our committees in the House and Senate are doing – would be passed before we go on our second break. Our second break is normally between June and July.
“We want to do a very thorough job, we want to create legislative amendments that will ensure that our electoral environment is enhanced, that our elections are better in terms of integrity and transparency,” he added.
Three members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were reportedly killed on Sunday in the Ojoo area of Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had in 2020 proscribed NURTW and later made a former chairman of NURTW in the state, Mukaila Lamidi, popularly called Auxiliary, the chairman of park managers.
After this, the NURTW in the state, led by Abideen Olajide, popularly called Ejiogbe, approached the state High Court to declare park managers illegal, and stop auxiliary from parading himself as the chairman.
However, the High Court last week nullified the appointment of park managers inaugurated in 2020 by the Seyi Makinde-led administration.
Justice M. A. Adegbola, who presided over the case filed by Ejiogbe, described as illegal the collection of rates by the park managers appointed by the state government and therefore granted an injunction restraining the respondents, their agents, proxies, or whoever from interfering with the management and affairs of motor parks in Oyo State and from collecting any rates and dues from any of the parks or commercial drivers in Oyo State.
Members of NURTW in the state challenged park managers to vacate the parks for them to operate after the court nullified the appointment of park managers.
A member of NURTW, Kazeem Ekolo, said three members of NURTW were killed on Sunday. “Three people were killed. Those killed are all members of NURTW. They killed them and evacuated their corpses. The governor must be proactive,” he said.
Meanwhile, no fewer than four people were shot at Ifeleye market, Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area of the state.
It was learnt that hoodlums from the Ifoko area of Ibadan arrived at the area around 7:30 pm and started shooting sporadically.
A resident of Oke Padre, Abass Kareem, said: “Those hoodlums came back last night. They shot four people and when the police repelled their attack, they left but returned late at night. The insecurity is getting too tense in Ibadan,”he said.
Peak News 
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