The Chairman, IndependentNational Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega, said on Wednesday that the commission was ready to issue permanent electronic voters' card that would be valid for 10 years. ``With the design of the card and specification it will serve for an average of 10 years, as it could also be used for the 2019 elections.'' He said in Abuja that the electronic voters' card would eliminate electoral fraud and ensure credible and transparent polls.

Speaking at an INEC/civil society dialogue on plans and progress towards the 2015 elections, Jega said that was as a result of the features on the electronic card, which, he added, included micro testing security, hologram, and finger prints. ``The cards will be an electronic card to be used for identification, authentication and for voting, also it will prevent multiple voting and frauds.

The chairman said that card readers would take the finger print and determine the legitimacy of the owners of the card and that it would be used during the 2015 elections. He said with the introduction of card readers, matching the electoral manipulations and fraudulent activities of people buying voters card and multiple voting would be eliminated.

``There is a lot of work to be done, we have to procure card readers and we have started this, we have made budget for it and we are receiving support. ``This budget year we are buying 500 and under the 2013/14 budget we are buying the rest, so by 2015 there will be enough card readers to deploy to polling units to ensure 100 per cent authentication. Jega said INEC would commence the issuance of permanent voters' card early in 2013, as the contract for the production of 40 million voters registered card out of the 73.5 million registered had been awarded.

He said INEC was doing the last stage of the processing of the second batch of the contract and by the middle of 2014 all the eligible voters that had registered would have been given their permanent voters' card. ``There are 73.5 million eligible voters but for the first phase we will
print 40 million and another part of it for completion is in the budget for 2012," he said. He said the idea of doing voter registration once on the eve of election was now a thing of the past.

``There is a continuing process of registration in which any person who is eligible as required by the law can go to an established office and be registered. ``There are so many processes of this globally and INEC is embracing the best methodology, which will be launched nationwide next year. He said the beauty of the exercise was that most of the displaced people with adequate information and evidence would be re- registered.

``In Kogi, two of INEC offices were affected by the flood disaster, as we lost valuable items, but we must move ahead and will never allow the negative consequences of disaster to affect our job.'' He said INEC has enough Direct Data Capture Machines (DDC) bought for the 2011 general elections and the commission has identified the quantity required for the exercise.

www.businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/news/latest/48238-inec-to-issue-10-year-permanent-electronic-voters-card-

10-year permanent?

Kobojunkie: 10-year permanent?

lol

Kobojunkie: 10-year permanent?

lol

Better, as long as there's no further request for an extra allocation, hence making it obvious as an another avenue to waste tax payers money, and btw, how on earth is this gonna check electoral fraud when unregistered voters can still be allowed to vote not to talk of the electoral officials that do the thump printing by themselves to favor their favorite candidate.

The only way this would work is by the use of electronic voting system, thereby detect multiple voting, anything short of it is like selling a monkey to buy a dog!

This post suppose dey hidden!

true talk..

Kobojunkie: 10-year permanent?

Long-term more like.

How about the under age that could later be eligible before the elapse of the 10years?

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Better, as long as there's no further request for an extra allocation, hence making it obvious as an another avenue to waste tax payers money, and btw, how on earth is this gonna check electoral fraud when unregistered voters can still be allowed to vote not to talk of the electoral officials that do the thump printing by themselves to favor their favorite candidate.

The only way this would work is by the use of electronic voting system, thereby detect multiple voting, anything short of it is like selling a monkey to buy a dog!

True talk bro.. JEGA has started again.. so we go the electronic route only to commence manual voting when the time comes.. I can see Zinox hovering in the background..whatever happened to the N6.2 billion for converting captured data into digital format.. i thought they were already captured digitally Nigeria for you right there.. We will never change hence never grow

Is voting the most important thing in Nigeria...inec seemd to be enjoying the Job...well 79billion no be moi moi

Corrupt country!

There is FG identity smart card, there is INEC voters card and all sorts of card!!!

The fundamental remains that Local Government level is best placed to issue ID Smart Card that would equally be used for voting, banking activity.

As far as i am concerned this is a good development. Except that there are some problems with this development. take for example, if i travelled to Edo state to visit my friends it happens that there is election and i vote, two months later i'm in Ondo state to resume my job. will i be allowed to vote? knowing that the two states elections hold differently and the lga elections are also going to be holding differently

We de wait una

Jega Should Shut-up the thrash!

lagerwhenindoubt:

True talk bro.. JEGA has started again.. so we go the electronic route only to commence manual voting when the time comes.. I can see Zinox hovering in the background..whatever happened to the N6.2 billion for converting captured data into digital format.. i thought they were already captured digitally Nigeria for you right there.. We will never change hence never grow

To me, something like national identity card or international passport is far better than the so called voters' card, with the person's year of birth clearly written in it, one becomes eligible immediately he/she is 18, and that can always be verify in the data base.

Right move towards right direction. JEGA you are too much oooooooo.

Unknown Member: - Electronic voters card is good as an idea in itself.

- But how does a country where there is no light, where the Internet and I.T in general is still very alien to us intend to make this work?! The problems people faced during the voters registration is still fresh on our minds. Some machines werent working, some polling areas had to bring their own generators that broke down half way through, e.t.c.

- Those communities that are located in remote and hard to reach places (where even mobile phone signals dont exist) would not benefit from this scheme.

- 10 years is rather too long.. I would suggest 4 years max. the same duration that every elected official is supposed to last in office. This way, verification of voters would be done before each election to ensure that dead card holders are deleted from the system and also weed out electronic rigging.

-

TALKING LIKE SOMEONE WHO CAN THINK ABI? DOESNT STOP YOU FROM BEING THE PROPER ASSWIPE.
GET BACK TO YOUR CAGE,DOG!

Long term of this voters card is good.But that is if nigeria still remain one entity till then.

Now they have given them people the opportunity to prepare their rigging program for Ten years. Foolishness in high places.

Thiefsssssss!

This is one news that has gladdened my heart

ok, me way participate in registering people and was registered in my nysc state(ebonyi),how will i get my perm voters card now that im in oyo? ok, me way participate in registering people and was registered in my nysc state(ebonyi),how will i get my perm voters card now that im in oyo?

FOR NIGERIAN YOUTHS TO BE DISCUSSING BIAFRA WHEN THE ELITE ARE OPENLY LOOTING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS MEANT FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN 2012 GOES TO SHOW HOW DAFT WE ARE.

MANY ON THIS FORUM WHERE NOT EVEN ALIVE DURING THE CARNAGE SO IF YOU THINK THAT WAS GENOCIDE, A GREATER ONE VIA CORRUPTION IS HAPPENING NOW WITH HUNGER, UNEMPLOYMENT AND MASS DEATH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN AT CHILDBIRTH AND MALARIA SCOURGES WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN HISTORY IF NOT FOR BAD LEADERSHIP.

LET US KEEP ON PLAYING TO OUR LEADERS TUNES SINCE WE LOVE TO CONFIRM HOW DAFT WE ARE : TALKING OF BIAFRA WHEN SINCE 1999 WE HAVE HAD MORE MONEY THAN OUR ENTIRE HISTORY COMBINED TO HAVE TRANSFORMED US TO BRAZIL OR SOUTH KOREA, IT IS A PITY!!

Kai Mallam l no gree for dis one. You wan chop money. You no envisage change in technology.

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