PHASING OUT CARD READERS AND PVCs, A PANACEA TO ANARCHY

I have considered it necessary to shed more light on the interrelationship between the memory Card Readers which is commonly called PVC machines by Nigerians and the electronic smart card which is popularly known as Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), before taking on issues that surrounds its introduction, sustenance and its anticipated untimely extinction.
It is no gain saying that the memory card reader, which is a data input device that reads data from a card-shaped storage medium was proposed and funded by the President Goodluck Jonathan led administration, after a few logical deliberations at the floor of our National Assemblies and with meaningful inputs from technological savvy citizens both at the helms of affairs and the common. The first of the memory card readers were punched card readers, which read punched cards that were used during the first several decades of the computer industry to store information and programs for computer systems.

Modern card readers like the one introduced by the presidency are electronic devices that can read plastic cards embedded with either a barcode, strip, computer chip or another storage medium, which will ultimately drastically reduce the electoral hiccups that has enveloped the sanctity of our electoral institution from the advent of democracy in our nation. No doubt, the introduction of this advance technology is expected to mark the beginning of a new Nigeria, as checkmating the ills that characterizes will be made easy, provided the umpire does not compromise the process.

On the other hand, the smart card which is popularly called a Permanent Voter Cards used for communication with a memory card reader, which is a device used to scan and electronically save printed electronic cards, it must have located it perfect replica on the database before the memory card readers can successfully recognized the electronic smart card at the point of verification, then it can proceed to the identification stage before access can be finally granted to the user.

To the end of the brief information about the interrelationship between the memory card readers and the permanent voter cards, it is very important to also say that all biometric readers to include the memory card readers have a similar architectural design and working principles, by comparing the template stored in memory to the scan obtained during the process of identification. If there is a high enough degree of probability that the template in the memory is compatible with the live scan (the scan belongs to the authorized person), the ID number of that person is sent to a control panel. The control panel then checks the permission level of the user and determines whether access should be allowed. The communication between the reader and the control panel is usually transmitted using the industry standard Wiegand interface.

The Peoples Democratic Party has made their position on their disagreement with the use of the much talked about and funded technology, memory card readers in a few press statements which has eventually raised questions that seems unanswerable by these detractors in the ruling party and its sub-political parties or congresses. After a critical analysis of the number of the TVCs used in year 2011 and the number of casted votes in that year’s election and comparing the present INEC declared numbers of produced PVCs and the large number of the uncollected PVCs in year 2015 with the former, I don’t feel remorse to confidently submit that the large number of uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the present PDP led States and those States lost to the APC at the tribunal, are the Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) used to rig the elections in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, which concurrently aided the victory of the PDP in the 2011 general elections.

On this note, reports from our feelers in the President Goodluck Jonathan cabinet has given strong indications that the presidency in conjunction with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has concluded every necessary plans to ensure that the incumbent chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega and the existing 14 Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) proceed on the purported terminal leave which will take effect on or before this coming Saturday 21 March, 2015 or before next Saturday.

In addition, the success of these mischievous plans as orchestrated by President Goodluck Jonathan and his political party will witness the emergence of a new leadership of our electoral umpire, there are strong indications that the ushered in INEC leadership will abort the ‘finger print authentication’ during the accreditation phase of the forthcoming general elections and the possibly the relegation of the memory card readers to the trashcans, which will eventually support their evil plans to scuttle the electoral figures, if the people does not coarsely resist the complete phasing out of the card readers and PVCs.

The newly ushered in leadership will eventually request for more time, let's say not more than 60days after May 29, 2015 in order to conduct free, fair and credible elections, which will ultimately lead to an outrage amidst the people and the formation of an national interim government.

If the introducer of an advance technology could turn back to condemn it after being embraced by concerned people, then Nigerians are expected to conclude that something must have gone wrong with the evils attached to the introduced technology by the introducer. Nonetheless, i am afraid that Nigeria will never remain the same, if the ruling party successfully have their way to frustrate the helpless Nigerian masses both before and during the polls, as a predictable anarchy might consume our nation in history.

Sulaiman Kazeem
sulaimanadeshina@yahoo.com
@KazeemDiary