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Governors seek 25% waiver to buy INEC’s data capturing machine

By on May 17, 2013

State governors,yesterday, requested the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to grant them 25 percent discount for the purchase of computers used for capturing data during the registration of voters in 2010.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the National Economic Council meeting, Governor Adams Oshiomole of Edo State said INEC has offered to sell a total of 78,701 excess laptops and webcams to the States for distribution to Secondary Schools for the promotion of computer literacy.

The Edo State Governor who was accompanied by Governors Aliyu Dankwabo (Gombe); Saidu Dakingari (Kebbi) and deputy governor of Niger State, as well as the Minister of National Planning, Usman Shamsudeen and Director General of the Debt Management Office, DMO, Abraham Nwankwo said INEC should also give 10 percent discount on the computers that are new.

He explained that further negotiation on the mode of payment is expected to be finalized by a committee with INEC earlier set up by the council.

The computers and direct data capture machines bought for the 2011 general elections are valued at N35 billion.

Governor Oshiomhole said: “Council agreed that States are going to buy the machines and INEC should give discount of 25 percent for the old machines and 10 percent for the new ones. Further negotiation on the mode of payment will be finalized by the committee with INEC”.

NEC also received a report of the National Seminar on Corruption which was held in Minna, Niger State in collaboration with the National Planning Commission.

According to the Deputy Governor of Niger State, the report noted that a National Development plan was required for economic and social stability, with stringent measures of punishing offenders publicly.

It further emphasized the need for merit which must be genuinely elevated above partisanship.

NEC, therefore, agreed to look into the report and prepare inputs and contributions on how to work out the best approach on corruption in the country.

NEC fixed July 2013 which is its next meeting for discussion on the issues of corruption in the country.

Other decisions at yesterday’s NEC meeting was a presentation from the DG, DMO which focused on the gains recorded by his office on public debt management including the successful completion of Debt Data Reconstruction, DDR, in the 36 States and the FCT last December.

The DMO director general said after the DDR exercise, it was established that total debt of the federal, States and FCT stood at N8.07 trillion by December 2011 consisting of N6.85 trillion for domestic stock and N1.217 trillion for external stock.

He said consolidated public Debt/GDP Ratio stands at 21.5 percent as against the standard threshold of 40 percent. “All States and FCT are within the liquidity solvency, sustainability thresholds”, he added.

NEC also set up a sub-committee to follow-up and work with interested states towards a better harmonization and coordination of the processes to enhance easier and quicker draw down.

 

 

[Vanguard]