₦airaland Forum

I endorse Jonathan too for stability.

I cry and weep as I write. Please Nigerians take a lesson from this. Why the hate!! Oh lord. What has man become in our time and weep for Nigeria. Our politicians have stretched our sense of tolerance that the video I just saw may not be far from the events in Nigeria if we fail this time. God help and bless Nigeria.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/revealed-the-inec-ballot-paper-contractors-vendors/89142/

Revealed: The INEC Ballot Paper Contractors, Vendors
By Chuks Okocha

06 Apr 2011
Views: 471

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Prof. Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman


The identities of the six firms and their facilitators contracted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to print ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive materials for the 2011 general election were Tuesday unravelled by THISDAY.


They were Tip3, a Spanish company represented by Hashim Dikko, and Graphic Inline (Gi) with Sanni Lamido as proxy.
Also on the list were Kalamazoo, represented by Dick Jackson, a Nigerian-Briton married to a lady from Kano; Aero-vote represented by one Yerima; and SanFrano, a German/Polish company represented by Sanni Musa.
The sixth company that benefited from the printing contract was VI Solutions, sponsored by Yahaya Sani.
SanFrano, according to investigation, was the firm that went to China to print the papers but failed to deliver on time for the April 2 elections.


The six contractors received over N13 billion for the printing of the 75 million ballot papers and result sheets for each of the elections. The contracts were awarded to the companies by INEC in late February this year, according to investigation.
Going by the terms of the contract, each of the companies was expected to print 75 million ballot papers and result sheets for the elections in respect of the National Assembly, presidential, governorship and state assembly elections. The number of registered voters is 73 million.


THISDAY gathered that 75 million copies for the main presidential election and another 75 million copies for a run-off, totalling 150 millon were authorised by Jega and awarded to Tip3 Company, the Spanish firm.
It was also leant that the Nigerian partners of Tip3, having assessed the volume of work involved in their contract, made representation to the commission that given the time constraint, they could not guarantee timely delivery of the job, but INEC was said to have urged them on.


THISDAY investigation also showed that the Spanish firm being naïve about the importance of the job, went ahead to print the run-off election papers first and returned the job on the main election to INEC on March 23 with the excuse that it could no longer handle it.


Sources at the commission also revealed that the trio of Jega, his chief of staff, who also doubles as a consultant, Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu, and an unnamed senior Presidency official took charge of the award of the contracts for the printing of 200 million copies of the ballot papers and result sheets.


According to the source, INEC in December 2010 set up four committees to traverse the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Lithuania, South Africa, Asia and the United Arab Emirate (UAE) to search for suitable printers.


Jega, as chairman of the committee ‘A’, visited the United States and Canada, with Prof. Lai Olurode and U.F. Usman as members of his committee.


It was further gathered that Mr. Nuru Yukubu, chairman of committee ‘B’, visited England and Ireland, with Mrs. G.N. Nwafor, Dr. Oniyangi, Col. M. K Hammanga, D. I. Anumba as members of the committee.
The third committee had Mr. Philip Umeadi, Mrs. T. Iremiren and K.N. Ukeagu as members and visited Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Lithuania, while the fourth committee headed by Dr. Ishmael Igbani visited South Africa, Asia and UAE. Members of the committee included Dr. Chris Iyimoga, Prince Solomon Soyebi and Mrs. Amina Yusuf.


THISDAY gathered that trouble started when the four committees returned from their overseas assessment tour of facilities of printers of security materials and raised another committee headed by the INEC National Commissioner in Charge of Logistics, Col. M. K Hammanga, to harmonise the reports.


The harmonisation committee, in its report, recommended that the ballot papers, result sheets and other sensitive materials be printed in Germany, France and Poland.
The committee also recommended that US should be excluded because of distance, while England was also rejected because of high cost of printing there.


It also rejected South Africa because of the 2007 general election experience which led to the delay, as some of the sensitive election papers were still on ground during the poll.


The Hammanga committee subsequently shortlisted 21 companies and the list was submitted to Jega.
It was discovered that to the utter surprise of the committee members, INEC dumped the shortlisted companies.
“Since then, the issues on the award of the contracts for the printing of the ballot papers, the result sheets and other sensitive election materials was shrouded in secrecy. The files relating to the contracts were always kept in the office of the INEC chairman,” the source said.


Graphic Inline, one of the firms that mistakenly went ahead to produce the ballot papers for the re-run elections, told INEC afterwards that its next delivery for the ballot papers would be April 12.
This development, THISDAY learnt, accounted for the firm’s failure to meet the deadline and forced INEC to re-award it to another firm, V.I. Solutions.


Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday expressed his continued support and confidence in Jega, saying he was optimistic that he would do a good job and get the desired free and fair elections in the country this time around.
Contrary to speculations that he had lost confidence in Jega, Jonathan said he would have initiated the process for his removal from office if he had the slightest doubt that he was no longer capable of delivering the elections according to the expectations of Nigerians.


He spoke at a photo exhibition by George Esiri, a photo journalist, on his campaign trail titled: “The People’s President” at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, where he assured Nigerians that there was no cause for alarm as they would not be disappointed.


To him, the decision of the electoral body was the best in the circumstances, adding that if they had gone ahead with the exercise, result sheets would have arrived centres very late at night which would have raised other issues and concerns.
He also asked Nigerians to see the postponement as a demonstration that the electoral body wanted to get things done the right way so that it would be obvious to all that the exercise was open and credible.


“You know that of course, if he is no longer performing well, I will communicate to the National Assembly to terminate his appointment. Until I do that, I am fully in his support and I know that he will do well,’’ he said.


The president acknowledged that going for the same election at a later date was a sacrifice all Nigerians have to make to sustain democracy in spite of the cost to those who, like him, travelled to exercise their franchise before it was cancelled

Who truly is a patriotic Nigerian?; is it the one that offered us a chance to democratise Nigeria or the one that overthrew a democratic government in the 80s?

Imagine how far we would have gone with our democratic processes if not for coups in the 80s. A decent capture of our history beyond 12 years ago will help shape our choices. Goodluck Nigerians as you make your choice for good governance.

How can we trust a man that claims that he is in this to redeem Nigerians? How!!!

I resent liars and overtly pretend to be good individuals. No to stealing. A thief is a thief. Buhari shame on you!!

Way to go!!!, Aso Rock here they come. I must be President atitude without clues on what to offer Nigerians.

Quote from: Bluelabs
In August 2010, Bluelabs Limited conceptualised and developed an 'inspirational song called Transformation', to get the youth engaged in the electoral process and possibly pitch to interested parties for campaign purposes. We then produced a video (set against a montage of sweeping imagery designed to evoke a sense of patriotism) for the 'transformation' song and made it available for viewing on a website.

In March 2011, it came to our attention that the Buhari/Bakare team of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had placed a video on all CPC's official e-channels (Buhari/Bakare Official Facebook page, youtube and the website) and the video was going viral.

To our greatest consternation, the video was set against our Transformation Song and adopted similar graphics. The feedback that viewers gave the video would have been extremely pleasing to the CPC, as many commentators remarked on how overwhelmed they were by the song, how patriotic it made them feel and how it had changed their minds tovote for the CPC.

While we were delighted at the testament to the quality of our company's work, we felt seriously aggrieved that our song had been ripped and used in broadcasts without authorisation or license from us.

It is therefore incumbent upon us to inform Nigerians and the world at large that the CPC cannot be the bastion of honesty it purports to be if it is the policy of the party to dismiss the legitimate claims of young, honest, hardworking Nigerians for just recompense for the fruit of their labour.

CPC cannot say that it respects the Rule of Law if it has abject disregard for the fundamentals of the Nigerian Copyright Act. If Buhari and Bakare staff their campaign HQ with people who have displayed no semblance of an understanding of such basic principles, what hope can Nigerians have for the kind of government they would form if elected? If their campaign office is staffed with people who think refusal of service of a letter is appropriate because elections are only 7 days away, or under any circumstances at all, can we expect them to form a decent and civil government?

The Buhari/Bakare team stole our idea. They stole our intellectual property. They have refused to even discuss compensation with us despite the adulation that our work has now garnered for them.

Support us against this injustice. Join us in our quest to demonstrate that there is no time, be it 7 months or 7 days to the elections when it is right to cheat people of the fruit of their labour.

We invite you to watch our video, then watch theirs and draw your conclusion.

From BuhariStoleOurIdea.Com

Aisha2 must you be a kill joy. What is wrong with laughing again. I guess the question is an attack on you and your principal. Take a chill pill please. Haba!!!

Nigeria

I sit in tears everyday and ponder who we are, what drives us and what we represent?
Militants fighting, kidnappers are having a field day and government not meeting expectations of a people and I sit in tears and ponder,
Ex-military leaders fighting to get back to power and the voice of the common man drowned.
Lost in our lust for wealth we have lost a sense of collectivism. Is capitalism right for our progress?
Our rich African communal culture is dead, one can no longer travel from the cities to our autonomous societies where we come from because of insecurity.
Massively twigged educational system currently breeds arm robbers and cultist and little of those that quest for genuine knowledge.
How did we get to this road with many uncertain exits and how can we realign simple moral virtues to fit into the fabric of the entity called Nigeria.
In tears and truth that just as Nigeria, many Nations forced to exist as one in the days of colonial greed are faced with the same dilemma as regards to who they are and how best to govern a people.
Nonetheless, can't we all find a common sensible ground to continually exist as Nigeria?
Obviously status quo appears to have failed. Can't we find a new recipe to our need to become greater than numbers?
Where is that patriotic Nigerian that can take us there? Should we continue to write on blogs in anger and not act as that Nigerian that should take us there? Who do we think holds the mantle of leadership? Government or us? Criticism is good but subjectively done be clouds the essence of constructive thinking.
Government is only a tool that can help us achieve greatness if deliberately approached with a sense of patriotism.
Nigeria is bigger than the politics of today. Nigerians are enterprising people that can become the best in their areas of interest if given a chance.
Please write about your anger about this country here and what informed it and what you think can help us resolve this. We are Nigerians and Nigerians we will remain but the future will judge us if we cannot speak out objectively on what we need to achieve as a nation.

God thank you for the the federal republic of Nigeria because we are already a blessed people but struggling to find our footing.

@ Seun thanks for your magnanimity . I don’t really want anything from Nairaland order than to allow the blog be a blog. There is a thin line between attacks and interpretation of one statement or action.

All that I did as a blogger is to interpret the actions of Buhari and threw it open for people to debate on.
Would you not consider Aisha’s signature a bit extreme to encourage Nigerians to Bokaram PDP. That is too extreme for a blog moderator whose views should not be aired at all in the first place.

You cannot run a lob sided blog that favour any individual or group which is what it has appeared to be.
Aisha owes me an apology for changing the title of my blog to something else and locking my blog to avoid comments. Tell me how you will learn about how Nigerians feel if you continually lock them down.

You created a great tool for Nigerians towards self-emancipation as a people, do not kill it please. Regards.

Aisha2 poked me privately with very demeaning messages . She understands why I am standing my grounds. She should define an attack? KnowAll in one of my post said that Okonjo Iweala should be relegated to the kitchen as house wife. Is it not in place to highlight such rude messages about a dignified woman. However because KnowAll was supporting Buhari, Asha2 Had no qualms with it but had qualms once I highlighted it.

The beauty of Politics and the only thing that will attract people to this blog continually is for them to know that their freedom of speech is not limited. Yes obscene words could be censored but you do not have rights to clear any blog. It is people’s online footprint and once you edit it you cannot give credit to whomever that has written it. As long as I am concerned it is sexist, racist and entirely chauvinistic for Buhari not to give a valid reason why he may not work with Okonjo Iweala he simply dismissed the idea of a woman.
Let those who have qualms with this, debate on it. It is very unbecoming for a moderator to sternly warn a blogger privately and play the good person on the open blog. Aisha was rude and when I checked her out it became entirely clear why she would not tolerate my highlighting that it appears that her candidate (Buhari) is nothing less than my assertion.

Lock this one. Bleed blood and I will wipe it for you. Shit nail I will knock it back extremist cunt!!!

You cannot delete me for ever, you better recommend that nairaland remove me entirely and let us see what you meant by attacks. Shameless sharia driven minded PERSON. Shame on you because you dont understand that women like you are the people I am fighting for!!!

You need to go for anger management and stop deleting valid post that seek to highlight to problems with our society. Because you support SHARIA and I dont does not give you rights to edit mypost. You could be sued. You need to read your copyrights and understand your job. Where your rights start mine start as well. You cannot impose yourself on 150 million Nigerians. They need to know the truth.

I earlier described the rejection of Dr. Okonjo Iweala as an act of racism and chauvinism and one KnowAll on Nairaland said to following and I quote,

‘why should Buhari make a house wife her vp. abi which kin talk be that just because she had a couple of years internship in the WB(just like Monica Lewinski) she don become hot property abegiiiiiiiiiiii.’

This shows the mind-set of those calling for CHANGE of status quo but not a change that may recognise the rights of all or a democracy that is fair to all.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

No worries bro. He said you have created a number of you. Guess they will think this is you hailing yourself. God guide and God bless.

Sexist racist KnowAll is back. God bless your wife. One can imagine where you have placed her at home.
Are you without shame. Because it is world Bank it does not count!!!
The biggest irony of it all is that people like you are over glorified bank owners or managers that has contributed mostly to our decayed system in Nigeria.  You need to look holistically toward solving your ego and narcissist sense of self.

@Lagosboy first of all, Okonjo Iweala is Igbo and secondly a woman of great virtue. Can your Buhari point out the bases of rejecting her?!!! It is either she is Igbo or a woman.

Listen to all your extreme mates in the house. All extreme guys who are thinking religion before the your patriotism to this country and hoping to high jack it by force will fail because we reasonable ones are more and we will prevail.

@Lagosboy first of all, Okonjo Iweala is Igbo and secondly a woman of great virtue. Can your Buhari point out the bases of rejecting her?!!! It is either she is Igbo or a woman.

Listen to all your extreme mates in the house. All extreme guys who are thinking religion before the your patriotism to this country and hoping to high jack it by force will fail because we reasonable ones are more and we will prevail.

Nigeria has got a long way to go with this kind of remarks coming out of nairaland. Can Buhari equal the humble woman on any front? Academically and otherwise. It is simply not fair.

Perhaps freaking out all Nigerians with Buhari's call for implementation of Sharia across all states in Nigeria is the way forward. Shameless Nigerians without vision.

That is not a fair GENDA statement. It shows that your principal does not have any plans for women. Shame on you guys.

Former President Obasanjo had told Mallam Nasir el-Rufai to convince Buhari to substitute Bakare with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and that if that was done, both he and Babangida would mobilize support for the Buhari campaign.

El-Rufai got across to Bakare to sell the idea. Bakare bought the idea provided it would make Buhari win, insisting that it was his opportunity to escape from public office which he was never too anxious to get involved in the first place.

In turn, Bakare and El-Rufai met Buhari to sell the idea to him. Bakare spoke first. The choice of Okonjo-Iweala, he said, would be a masterstroke because as a woman, it would attract female votes. Since Buhari was one that signed a decree on gender affirmative action nearly three decades ago, this was a golden chance to give it a practical play. Next, Okonjo-Iweala is an economist, a former finance minister—that gives the campaign a strong economic rooting. As a former external affairs minister and now the managing director of World Bank, she has strong international clout. As Delta Igbo, that solves the Igbo question of not being well represented in the current political dispensation. Finally, if the choice would earn the campaign more support and help Buhari to win, that was the main objective, as far as he was concerned. El-Rufai also delivered Obasanjo’s message as passionately as he could and Buhari listened patiently.

“If you have changed your mind about running with me, then tell me,” Buhari finally spoke. “You are the only one that can make me drop you from the campaign if you have changed your mind.”

Turning to El-Rufai, Bakare narrated, Buhari said, “Give my regards to OBJ.”

Your bid to discredit a passionate man like BEAF for what he believes in is entirely unacceptable. Politics is passion and marketing GEJ requires BEAF to highlight his strengths as well as the weaknesses of his opponents.

If you don’t support the sharia freak called Buhari or Rock star wanabe that has no confidence in himself, why write an open letter to BEAF?

BEAF great job , you are a principled man. Your view has not shifted for as long as I know you on NAIRALAND. Most of the things you write about are verifiable facts. It is either some people have refused to research or chose to ignore the reality of our time.

When is his cousin joining him?

When is his cousin joining him?