News
YIAGA Africa urges reforms toward credible LG polls in Nigeria
Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA) Africa, a non-profit organisation, has called for constitutional reforms to strengthen the State Independence Electoral Commissions (SIECs) toward enhancing the quality of local government elections in the country.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Mr Samson Itodo, made the call at a book launch in honour of Prof. Nnamdi Aduba, one of its Board Members, on Saturday in Jos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the book launch titled “Building a Virile Nation: Law, Economy and Good Governance”, was organised to honour Aduba, who recently retired from the University of Jos, having clocked the age of 70.
Itodo lamented that 90 per cent of the local government elections recently conducted in the country were marred by irregularities.
According to him, the SIECs lacked the constitutional reforms that will enable them conduct credible elections.
“Our position in YIAGA Africa has been that 90 per cent of the local government polls conducted in 17 states were not credible.
“They do not meet the integrity test and this because these institutions are not independent; there has been a lot of political interference in their operations.
“You, however, cannot call for the scrapping of SIECs because the reforms that have taken place in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have not been implemented for SIECs.
“SIECs are not financially and operationally independent; their regulations and guidelines are subject to the approval of the governor.
“These are some of issues that needed to be addressed if we want credible elections at the local government level,”he said.
On budget increment being demanded by INEC, Itodo explained that conducting general elections in Nigeria required huge funding.
The executive director, who also blamed the political class for regularly subverting the efforts of INEC to deliver credible elections, called for attitudinal change among Nigerians.
“Nigerians need to understand that elections are expensive – on general elections day, each voter will have not less than five ballot papers. It cost a lot to produce them.
“I think what Nigerians should worry about is the fact that as we spend more money for elections, the quality of our elections is declining.
“If our politicians aren’t subverting the efforts of INEC toward conducting credible elections just for their personal gains, we won’t be investing so much funds on technology to ensure every vote counts,”he said.
Earlier, Aduba, thanked the management of the university of Jos and his former colleagues in the Law Faculty, for organising the book launch in his honour.
Aduba, a professor of constitutional law promised to continually contribute his quota toward the growth of democracy in Nigeria, even in retirement.
“I’m retired but not tired. Teaching and research has been part of me; that is what I have been doing in the last 46 years of my life.
“I started from the University of Maiduguri and moved to the university of Jos 33 years ago.
“So, I will continue to mentor the young ones, particularly those who are serious about shaping the future of this country for the better,” he said.(NAN)
By Our Reporter
The National Productivity Centre, NPC organized the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2025 Productivity Club Quiz Competition, which brought together students from selected secondary schools in Abuja.
The event, held at the Newton Park hotel, Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja on Thursday, March 6, aimed to test participants’ knowledge on productivity and its concepts.
The competition featured students from eight secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT including: Government Secondary Schools Karu, Wuye, Apo Resettlement, Byazhin, Jabi, and Kurudu; as well as Government Day Secondary Schools Karu and Dutse Alhaji, all in the FCT.
In his opening remarks, the Director-General, Hon. Dr. Baffa Babba Dan’Agundi welcomed participants and observers, highlighting the aim of the programme.
Dr. Dan’Agundi said: “This unique programme is targeted at bringing young students together to showcase their knowledge of productivity they have acquired over the years, through the Productivity Coaching and Mentoring (PCM) Programme”.
Explaining further, he added that “Productivity Coaching and Mentoring Programme is an arm of the Productivity Awareness Campaign programme designed to take productivity messages to secondary schools to drive their productivity consciousness and introduce them to basic Productivity improvement tools and techniques, that would guide them on how to improve their productivity in their academic pursuit”.
The Executive Secretary, FCT Secondary Education Board, who was represented by Mr. Henry Sunday Mamman commended the Centre for impacting productivity knowledge to the students. He also encouraged the students to use the knowledge acquired to enhance their overall performance.
After a keenly contested finale, the quiz competition came to a thrilling conclusion with GDSS Dutse Alhaji emerging as the overall winner.
The second and third positions were secured by GSS Karu and GSS Byazhin, respectively.
The event was graced by distinguished guests, including the Director-General, National Productivity Centre, and his team of Directors, as well as Mr. Henry Sunday Mamman, who represented the Executive Secretary of FCT Secondary Education Board.
Hajia Maimuna Musa Adaji, Director/HOD Corporate Affairs and Information, delivered the Vote of Thanks.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday quizzed the immediate-past Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, for her alleged roles in the misappropriation, violation of procurement process and diversion of public funds of ₦138.4m in the course of disbursing the 2023 budgeted funds for the Ministry.
According to authoritative sources, the ex-minister arrived at the Commission’s headquarters around 11am on Thursday and faced interrogators on her alleged involvement in the fraud.
The sources claimed that investigations by the EFCC showed that funds donated for the funding of P- Bat Cares for Women Initiative were diverted for her self-enrichment.
She reportedly has not been admitted to administrative bail, as the sources added that investigations are still ongoing.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was one of the ministers President Bola Tinubu relieved of their duties in October 2024.
She was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs by Tinubu on August 21, 2023.
A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of an Independent Authority for the registration, regulation, and funding of political parties in Nigeria has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill seeks to establish a dispute tribunal and regulate the funding of political parties as well as utilisation of the funds.
The bill, which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and another lawmaker, Marcus Onobun, further seeks to ensure transparency and a stable democracy.
At the moment, there are 19 registered political parties in Nigeria. The roles to be performed by the new independent authority are currently the responsibilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The independence and neutrality of INEC have been questioned by many including former President Goodluck Jonathan and former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, who decried the influence of political interference on the appointments of electoral commissioners.
“The electoral commission must be fully independent and we must have credible people. Political leaders who are so domineering and over-pressuring you (INEC staffers) to do what is wrong should resign and leave,” Jonathan said at a Yiaga event recently.
Similarly, Jega said, “There is political interference in the appointment or removal of electoral commissioners and other election officials.”
Bishop Isaac Idahosa, the 2023 Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), also lamented that nobody puts INEC in check.
Meanwhile, INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu has been pushing for the creation of an electoral offence tribunal.
“A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals. Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed.
“No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases. Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases.
“It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that has a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases,” he said.