By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
Determined to minimize or eliminate Election Days Logistics especially in the face of persistent fuel scarcity across Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is making every effort to mobilise every national institution including the national oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to support in the process of achieving a free, fair, credible and inclusive polls in Nigeria.
INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu restated this in his remarks when he led a high-powered delegation of the Commission to pay a courtesy call on the Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPC, Engineer Mele Kyari at NNPC Towers, Abuja on Tuesday.
According to Yakubu NNPC is one of Nigeria’s critical institutions that can facilitate the attainment of INEC main objective of delivering a free, fair, credible and inclusive elections in 2023.
Said he: “In our effort to mobilise every national institution to give Nigerians a pleasant experience on Election Day, the Commission believes that the NNPC, as our national oil company, is one of the critical institutions that can facilitate the attainment of our objective. We are aware of the efforts of the NNPC to ease the current situation in earnest”
The INEC boss however told Kyari that at the same time, the Commission would like to appeal to him to consider the following proposals presented to him by INEC delegation. They include:
i. The use of the NNPC land and floating mega stations nationwide to service our election duty vehicles and boats. We will bear the cost of the products. By doing so, there will be guaranteed supply for elections;
ii. A special arrangement with other marketers in locations where the NNPC may not have dedicated stations; and
ii. A special arrangement with other marketers in locations where the NNPC may not have dedicated stations; and
Meanwhile, Yakubu told his host that: “Nigerian election is huge and complex. Election is the biggest logistical operation that Nigeria undertakes every four years. 93,469,008 registered voters are expected to elect a President, 28 State Governors and 1,462 legislators (109 Senators, 360 members of House of Representatives and 993 members of State Houses of Assembly).
“The Commission is mobilising about 100,000 vehicles and 4,000 boats for the deployment of personnel and materials to 176,846 polling units spread across 8,809 Registration Areas (or electoral Wards) in 774 Local Government Areas nationwide.
The INEC Chairman also revealed that the Commission had earlier on Tuesday had a meeting with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Marine Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) to mobilise the vehicles and boats needed for the massive land and riverine movement of men and materials for the election.
Said he: “We are determined to overcome the perennial challenge of late commencement of polls on grounds of logistics. However, this objective cannot be fully accomplished without the guaranteed supply of petroleum products to facilitate the movement of vehicles and boats the main reason the Commission is seeking the collaboration of NNPC”.
