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JUST IN: Don’t Accuse INEC Of Partisanship – Commissioner

Published

6 years ago

December 28, 2018

Eniola Olayemi

Independent National Electoral Commission says it is wrong to accuse it of partisanship or of being an appendage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The commission stated this in a publication made available to newsmen by Mohammed Haruna, INEC National Commissioner and member of Information, Voter Education and Publicity Committee, on Friday in Abuja.

Haruna in the publication titled: “INEC In The Last Three Years” said that since INEC’s last governorship election in Osun on Sep. 22, the entire commission had come under attack from several quarters, including media organisations, as being deficient.

He said that since 2015, INEC had conducted about 195 odd elections, including seven off-season governorship elections, a dozen senatorial and two dozen federal constituency elections and scores of State Assembly and Federal Capital Territory Area Council (FCT) elections.

He added that out of these 195 odd elections only a handful had been successfully challenged in courts and in none of them did the courts order wholesale re-runs.

“Even more importantly, in a large number of the elections, notably the Ondo governorship election in which all contestants were senior lawyers, there were no litigations at all.

“Most important of all, victories at the polls have been shared across all the major parties including the ruling APC and opposition PDP and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).’’

Harruna said that it may be argued that an election management body like a newspaper was as good as its last outing and the Osun State governorship election, as INEC’s last major outing before next year’s general election, was not perfect.

He said that certainly, it was not as good as, say, those of Ondo and Anambra states.

“Even then, no fair-minded critic of the Commission would accuse it of being tardy, or worse still, of being an appendage of the ruling APC.

“Were it so, it would not have had the courage to announce, as it did in early October, that APC had no candidate, save that of the Presidency, for all the elective offices in Zamfara State, because the party had failed to conduct proper primaries for its candidates for those offices by the commission’s deadline of Oct.7.

“The Commission would also not have had the courage earlier to have conducted a free, fair and credible impeachment process against Senator Dino Melaye in Kogi East which failed woefully in spite of the notorious fact that the Senator had become a painful thorn in APC’s flesh.’’

Haruna added that the most obvious reason why it was wrong to accuse INEC of partisanship was that ironically the same people accusing the commission of being an appendage of the ruling party were often the first to advocate that Local Government elections should be transferred to it.

He said that INEC’s watchwords in being guided by this dictum have been inclusiveness, courage, openness and transparency.

Haruna also cited media report where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum issued a statement in which it passed a vote of no confidence in the commission.

He said that the governors also accused INEC of conducting itself as a tool of the APC-led Federal Government, especially with the roles of the Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, and a National Commissioner, Mrs Amina Zakari.”

Haruna said that the newspaper raised the public concern on the appointments of Yakubu as INEC chair and Zakari, which it stated violated a “tradition” of presidents appointing persons from regions other than theirs as chairmen of INEC.

Haruna explained that since independence in 1960 the Commission has had 12 chairmen, seven of them appointed by the military leaders between 1976 and 1999.

“All seven military-appointed chairmen were Southerners. All the military leaders, except General Olusegun Obasanjo as military leader between 1976 and 1979, were Northerners.’’

He said that it would then seem that the popular notion articulated by the newspaper of INEC’s chair coming from a region other than that of the serving president is correct. “In reality it is not.

“It is 23 years between 1976 and 1999 which, in certain contexts, is a long time. It is, however, debatable that a 23-year practice, being just about a generation, is long enough to be considered a tradition in the true sense of the word.

“But even if it is, it was military tradition and the appointment of Prof. Yakubu as INEC Chairman was not the first to break with that “tradition.

“What broke with it was the appointment in 2000 of Dr Abel Goubadia, a Southerner, as INEC’s Chairman by President Olusegun Obasanjo, a fellow Southerner, followed by that of Professor Maurice Iwu, another Southerner, by the same president in 2005.

“Indeed, as military head of state back in the late seventies, Obasanjo appointed a fellow Southerner, Chief Michael Ani, as the chair of the Commission which conducted the 1979 election that ushered in the Second Republic.’’

Haruna added that a president’s power to appoint members of the Commission was not absolute; it was subject to approval by the Senate.

He also explained that contrary to widespread belief, Zakari was not a blood relation of President Buhari. Her mother was from Daura, alright, but she was not Buhari’s sister.

“It is also true that Buhari’s sister was once married to Mrs Zakari’s father. But this was over 60 years ago before Mrs Zakari was born. Besides, the marriage was short-lived and did not produce a child.’’

Haruna said that nepotism and geographical origin in the composition of INEC’s membership, as in the composition of any other organ, should, of course, be of public concern.

“However, what should be of far greater concern is the character, diligence and competence of the members, not whose relations they are or where they come from.

He said that in spite of challenges facing INEC, the commission was ready to deliver more credible elections in 2019 than it did in 2015.

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ASR AFRICA HOLDS GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR A N250 MILLION ABDUL SAMAD RABIU MEDICAL SCIENCE LABOURATORY FOR CRESCENT UNIVERSITY

Published

2 weeks ago

February 26, 2025

august24admin

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

ASR Africa has commenced the construction of a N250 Million medical science laboratory for Crescent University, Abeokuta in Ogun State.

From Right: Mr. G. T. Ogunmefun (University Acting Bursar); Barr. A. M. Ajiobla, SAN (Proprietor); Prof. Ibraheem Gbajabiamila (Vice- Chancellor); Dr. Ubon Udoh (MD/CEO, ASR Africa); Barr. Z. A. Ajibola (Registrar) and Prof. M. K. Momodu (Dean, College of Law) at the ground breaking ceremony of the Medical Science Laboratory for Crescent University, Abeokuta.

August24news.com gathered that the laboratory will enhance the capacity of the institution in meeting the National Development Plans and Transformational Agenda (NDTA) of the Federal Government of Nigeria, whilst filling the gap created by laboratory scientists who have left the country recently.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Ibraheem Gbajabiamila, expressed gratitude for the institution’s nomination by ASR Africa under its Tertiary Education Grant Scheme (TEGs).

He applauded ASR Africa for the award of the grant and noted that the project is the university’s topmost priority, considering its drive to expand its College of Health Sciences programs.

In his response, the MD CEO of ASR Africa, Dr Ubon Udoh, commended the management of the university for their academic achievements and systematic growth which is evident by the addition of three new colleges recently.

These colleges include the College of Environmental Sciences (COES), Bola Ajibola College of Law (BACOLAW) and the College of Health Sciences (COHES). Dr Udoh reiterated the commitment of ASR Africa in ensuring a timely completion of the project.

The N250 Million grant will provide fixtures and fittings for the medical science laboratory which features a 300 sitting capacity auditorium, offices for Head of Departments and lecturers, lecture /seminar rooms.

It will also cater as laboratories facility for Medical Laboratory Science, Medical Biology, Hematology, Pharmacology/Therapeutics and Chemical Pathology.

The ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grant Scheme is targeted at supporting quality education within the tertiary education system in Nigeria and so far over 30 tertiary institutions in Nigeria have benefitted from this grant which ranges from N250 million to N 2 billion.

ABOUT ASR AFRICA
The brainchild of African Industrialist, Philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based, homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting Health, Education and Social Development within Africa.

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Olusunle, Now Fellow Nigerian Mining & Geosciences Society (FNMGS)

Published

2 weeks ago

February 26, 2025

august24admin

…As Society Celebrates 64 Years of Existence

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

A research Director of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Engr. Dr. Samuel Olugbenga O. Olusunle has been conferred with the prestigious Fellow of Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (FNMGS), one of the oldest professional bodies in the history of Nigeria.

NASENI Research Director, Engr. Dr Samuel Olugbenga O. Olusunle, FNMGS, (right) receiving the Conferment Award plaque and Certificate from Prof. Akinade Sadrach Olatunji, the President of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society(NMGS)(left) during the Awards Night which took place at the Chida International Hotels Abuja on Wednesday 19 February 2025.

The Nigeria’s late sage, Pan Africanist and President during the First Nigerian Republic Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the first patron of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society.

The Society yesterday in Abuja concluded its 60^th Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE), and it was time for the body to honour and recognize its members who had contributed tremendously not only to the growth and development of the Mining and Geosciences profession in the country, but the accomplishments of the honourees having direct bearing on the general socio-economic development of the country.

The event which was held between 16^th to 19^th February 2025 at the Chida International Hotel Abuja, came to a climax with Awards Night and recognition. Dr. Olusunle and 42 other members were honoured with the prestigious fellow category, which is the highest election attainable in society.

This conferment has added new appellation to Engr.Dr. Olusunle’s name as FNMGS. In 1977, the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS) succeeded the Nigerian Mining Geological and Metallurgical Society (NMGMS) which was founded on 15th January 1961 and officially inaugurated on 17th December, 1962.

The society is an international professional organization. Its Objectives include: Advancement and practice of Mining, Earth sciences and Metallurgy, Acquisition, preservation and dissemination of mining geoscientific and metallurgical knowledge, publication of an interdisciplinary learned journal of Mining and Geology (JMG), the CRUST, periodicals and specialized books including annual books of abstracts and programmes of the society’s conferences and activities and upholding the ethics and safeguarding the interests of the professionals covered by the society.

The society also has statutory representation in the council of the Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientists (COMEG) established by the Federal republic of Nigeria Decree No. 40 of 1990. The categories of membership are Fellow, Corporate, Graduate, Students, Affiliate, Institutional and Honorary fellow, the highest of all is the Fellow category.

When asked to speak on the significance of the society’s recognition to him and NASENI where he serves as Director Research, a highly elated Olusunle had this to say: “I give God the glory and I am really humbled to be elected FELLOW of NMGS. It should be noted that the mandate of NASENI and the core concerns of NMGS are knittingly related. NASENI has one of its institutes operating within the purview of solid minerals exploitation (SOMMEDI).

NASENI also under wonderful leadership of the EVC/CEO, Khalil S. Halilu, is actively involved in the CNG project of the Federal Government. These and other notable activities/intervention of NASENI are collaborative windows between the agency and NMGS”.

Before he became research director, Dr. Olusunle was former Managing Director, Engineering Materials Development Institute (EMDI) Akure, one of NASENI Development Institutes. Also, he is a FELLOW of the Nigeria Institute of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE), the Materials Science and Technology Society of Nigeria (MSN), the Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), The Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM), The Nigerian Metallurgical Society (NMS)and many others.