AFTER a review of last Saturday’s botched National Assembly elections at its weekly meeting yesterday, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) restated its resolve not to interfere with the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The government said it would continue to respect the independence of INEC despite the embarrassment its inadequate preparations for the elections caused Nigerians last weekend.
Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku, said the meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, agreed that there is need to respect the autonomy of the electoral umpire.
Maku told journalists at the end of the Council session at the Presidential Villa that the Executive arm of government had done all that is needful to ensure that INEC got all the funds to conduct the elections. It therefore concluded that INEC has the capacity to tackle whatever problems that cropped up.
According to the minister, “INEC is independent of the Executive arm of government, because INEC is an ombudsman.
“We have done everything possible, especially under President Goodluck Jonathan, to remove the last vestiges of any control of the federal executive on INEC. So, INEC is an independent body, with its own budget, with its own planning, it deploys its own resources. What we have done, especially since last year, is to make available to INEC every requirement, every financial requirement that INEC has asked for, for the successful conduct of the general elections. Yes, there were several concerns last weekend in the elections that were subsequently postponed and the logistics and deployment in some places showed room for concern.
“INEC is handling all the issues that were raised by observers, politicians and actors concerning the level of preparations that we saw last week. It is our hope and belief that, come this week, INEC will now have the opportunity of using the postponement to address all the issues, especially the question of having adequate vehicles to transport materials from distribution centres to polling booths, and back to collation centres. It is very important because if those logistics arrangements are inadequate, then they create room for individuals to go in and help, and that help indeed can tamper with the security of materials and the outcome of elections,” he said.
The government’s spokesman therefore urged all stakeholders, including the media, the political class and members of the public to support and pray for INEC while helping in monitoring and providing useful suggestions to surmount the problems.
Maku further said: “It is our belief that all of us as stakeholders, the media, the political class, and members of the public, would be working along with INEC in terms of support, in terms of prayers, in terms of monitoring and indeed in suggestions, so that most of these problems would be addressed in the forthcoming, rescheduled elections.”
On the possibility of further postponement of the polls in some states, Maku said the Council does not delve into such issues, especially as it had not been informed by INEC.
“We also read those reports but the only authority that can take decisions in terms of the postponement of elections is INEC. And INEC has not informed the government and the public if there are some states where elections might not hold.”
The Council also approved that the Ebonyi State Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, be designated as a National Free Standing Treatment Centre.
As a centre of excellence, it will be involved in training, rehabilitation, prevention and research.
The Council further directed that the centre be renamed as Josephine Elechi National VVF Centre, Abakiliki.
At present, there are 16 centres offering surgical care to only about 400 fistula women yearly, implying that it will take about 250 years to deal with the backlog while ignoring new cases.
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who presented the memo seeking the Council’s approval to re-designate the Ebonyi facility, said it was highlighted as a significant public health issue by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abakaliki.
Subsequently, the agency assisted the state government to establish a VVF unit within the state University Teaching Hospital in 2001. The unit was upgraded to the free-standing Ebonyi State VVF Centre in 2007, and commissioned in 2008.
The 53rd National Council for Health meeting in March 2010 approved the designation of the Ebonyi VVF Centre as a National Fistula Centre on the premise that it is a dedicated, stand alone VVF unit that has been offering free, holistic services for patients drawn from across states in the federation.
Maku, who also spoke on the approval, noted that “from 2007 till date, over 743 clients from within and outside the state have benefited from the free services, which are supported by the government of Ebonyi State and partners.”
The minister stated that the Council was “renamed as Josephine Elechi National VVF Centre, Abakaliki in honour of the founder of the centre, the wife of Governor Martin Elechi.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayThe government said it would continue to respect the independence of INEC despite the embarrassment its inadequate preparations for the elections caused Nigerians last weekend.
Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. Labaran Maku, said the meeting, presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan, agreed that there is need to respect the autonomy of the electoral umpire.
Maku told journalists at the end of the Council session at the Presidential Villa that the Executive arm of government had done all that is needful to ensure that INEC got all the funds to conduct the elections. It therefore concluded that INEC has the capacity to tackle whatever problems that cropped up.
According to the minister, “INEC is independent of the Executive arm of government, because INEC is an ombudsman.
“We have done everything possible, especially under President Goodluck Jonathan, to remove the last vestiges of any control of the federal executive on INEC. So, INEC is an independent body, with its own budget, with its own planning, it deploys its own resources. What we have done, especially since last year, is to make available to INEC every requirement, every financial requirement that INEC has asked for, for the successful conduct of the general elections. Yes, there were several concerns last weekend in the elections that were subsequently postponed and the logistics and deployment in some places showed room for concern.
“INEC is handling all the issues that were raised by observers, politicians and actors concerning the level of preparations that we saw last week. It is our hope and belief that, come this week, INEC will now have the opportunity of using the postponement to address all the issues, especially the question of having adequate vehicles to transport materials from distribution centres to polling booths, and back to collation centres. It is very important because if those logistics arrangements are inadequate, then they create room for individuals to go in and help, and that help indeed can tamper with the security of materials and the outcome of elections,” he said.
The government’s spokesman therefore urged all stakeholders, including the media, the political class and members of the public to support and pray for INEC while helping in monitoring and providing useful suggestions to surmount the problems.
Maku further said: “It is our belief that all of us as stakeholders, the media, the political class, and members of the public, would be working along with INEC in terms of support, in terms of prayers, in terms of monitoring and indeed in suggestions, so that most of these problems would be addressed in the forthcoming, rescheduled elections.”
On the possibility of further postponement of the polls in some states, Maku said the Council does not delve into such issues, especially as it had not been informed by INEC.
“We also read those reports but the only authority that can take decisions in terms of the postponement of elections is INEC. And INEC has not informed the government and the public if there are some states where elections might not hold.”
The Council also approved that the Ebonyi State Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, be designated as a National Free Standing Treatment Centre.
As a centre of excellence, it will be involved in training, rehabilitation, prevention and research.
The Council further directed that the centre be renamed as Josephine Elechi National VVF Centre, Abakiliki.
At present, there are 16 centres offering surgical care to only about 400 fistula women yearly, implying that it will take about 250 years to deal with the backlog while ignoring new cases.
Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, who presented the memo seeking the Council’s approval to re-designate the Ebonyi facility, said it was highlighted as a significant public health issue by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abakaliki.
Subsequently, the agency assisted the state government to establish a VVF unit within the state University Teaching Hospital in 2001. The unit was upgraded to the free-standing Ebonyi State VVF Centre in 2007, and commissioned in 2008.
The 53rd National Council for Health meeting in March 2010 approved the designation of the Ebonyi VVF Centre as a National Fistula Centre on the premise that it is a dedicated, stand alone VVF unit that has been offering free, holistic services for patients drawn from across states in the federation.
Maku, who also spoke on the approval, noted that “from 2007 till date, over 743 clients from within and outside the state have benefited from the free services, which are supported by the government of Ebonyi State and partners.”
The minister stated that the Council was “renamed as Josephine Elechi National VVF Centre, Abakaliki in honour of the founder of the centre, the wife of Governor Martin Elechi.”
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