₦airaland Forum

In preparation for the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released new guidelines for the election.

The new document titled Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 covers matters of elections and arrangements for their conduct, accreditation, and voting procedure during elections, among others.

With the release of the Regulations and Guidelines, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the electoral commission has virtually concluded the planning processes for the 2023 general elections.

As the country prepares for the forthcoming general election, here are highlights and some key parts of the new guidelines for all eligible voters as they set for the polls on February 25 and March 11, 2023.

Who is Eligible to Vote?

Again, the electoral commission has emphasized in the new guidelines that only individuals who register and present a valid Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) at their polling units will be eligible to vote at the election.

In view of this, all eligible voters (those 18 years and above) are encouraged to register for their PVC before the end of the deadline.


INEC New Guidelines for 2023 Elections
Accreditation and Voting Procedure

On election day, accreditation and voting is to commence at 8:30 am and is scheduled to close at 2:30 pm. The accreditation process will include the checking of the PVC of the voter; positive identification of the voter in the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS); authentication of the voter by matching their fingerprints or face (facial recognition) using the BVAS; positive identification of the voter in the Register of Voters; among others.

According to INEC, voting at the upcoming election will only be in accordance with the Continuous Accreditation and Voting System (CAVS) procedure specified in its new Regulations and Guidelines, the Election Manual, and any other Guide issued by it. Thus, voters are to ensure that they know their polling units and check the Register of Voters that will be released by the commission to confirm that their name is on the Register, as INEC stated that no voter would be allowed to cast their vote in any polling unit other than the one where they are registered or assigned.

Also, INEC noted in the new guidelines that the BVAS will be used to verify the PVC of all eligible voters before they cast their votes.

Where a voter cannot be identified by the BVAS using all the methods outlined in the new Regulations and Guidelines or where the voter’s fingerprint or face cannot be matched with the details in the BVAS, after 3 trials, the electoral commission said that such a voter would not be allowed to vote.

Do’s and Don’t

Another critical thing to note in the new guideline is the prohibition of telephones and other electronic devices.

According to INEC, voters may come to the polling unit with telephones and other electronic devices. However, phones are not allowed in the voting cubicles nor can they be used to take pictures of other voters while voting.

Voters are also disallowed from making any mark on the ballot paper for any form of identification. According to INEC, if any voter does so, such ballot papers will be rejected.

While all eligible voters are encouraged to acquaint themselves with these new guidelines, it is pertinent to state that the only way for them to exercise their voting power is to register for their PVC and show up on election day ready to abide by the rules, to cast their votes.

More: https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/elections/inec-new-guidelines-for-2023-elections-key-things-for-eligible-voters-to-know/

cc: lalasticlala, seun, onila, farano, prettythicksme, mynd44

More: https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/visualisation/dailydatacard-presidential-candidates-for-the-2023-elections/

Here is a data card detailing the 12 most prominent presidential candidates for the 2023 elections

cc: lalasticlala, onila, farano, onila, prettythicksme, mynd44

Source: https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/visualisation/dailydatacard-presidential-candidates-for-the-2023-elections/

For more: https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/aso-ofi-the-women-led-traditional-cloth-weaving-practice-is-in-danger-of-extinction/

When last did you buy or rock the Aso Oke Attire asides for marriages or as Aso Ebi?

In Yoruba language, aso means cloth and ofi is the traditional wooden loom used to weave the cloth; so, aso-ofi loosely translates as the hand-woven cloth from the wooden loom. The process is hectic and takes days, from sorting the raw cotton or synthetic fibres to combing, spinning and warping — all done manually.

For most households in Iseyin, a rustic Yoruba community in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria, where Mojeed and his parents live, traditional cloth weaving is the major source of livelihood; and although the lockdown was not observed in Iseyin, the effect of the economic shutdown in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, and Abuja, the nation’s capital city, was felt everywhere even in Iseyin.

As states locked their borders to curb the spread of the virus with travel restrictions, businesses began to nosedive. The Iseyin weavers, mostly women, set aside their wooden looms. They had enough woven cloth materials at home, but there was no one to buy them.

For Taiwo and her husband, Jelil, had nowhere to go. They had no other business or means of survival and life became unbearable. Yet, they welcomed Mojeed into the world with open hands.

“It was a tough time for us. The pandemic and the restrictions came to us unexpectedly. We had to stop working and we were sleeping all day. That was when we had our third child, Mojeed. I do not pray to witness such a pandemic in my lifetime again,” Taiwo said.Oluwayemisi has been making aso-ofi for over 20 years – from 7 am to 6 pm. She only rests on Sundays. Her dexterity and energy was contagious as she answered questions smoothly without a break from weaving. She learnt the job when she dropped out of school after her primary education.

According to her, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was the toughest period she has ever experienced in over two decades of making aso-ofi. She sold out all the materials she had in store for lesser amounts. At some point, Oluwayemisi fed her six children with mangoes. Schools were shut, so they all woke every morning thinking about where the next meal would come from

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ASO-OFI?

Despite the many hurdles, the women artisans, mostly uneducated, are doubling their efforts to ensure aso-ofi gains wide acceptance again. The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on small-scale businesses notwithstanding, they have decided to keep the craft alive and boost their family income. For them, it is beyond a livelihood, it is a heritage that was passed from one generation to the other and must not go into extinction.

Such is the case of Raimot Lateef, an 18-year-old senior secondary school student at Islamic Girls High School, Iseyin, whose father taught weaving at a very young age. Rukayat, Ramot’s 22-year-old elder sister, is also a prodigy at the job.

According to Wasiu Olatunbosun, commissioner for culture and tourism, the exportation of aso-ofi textile products to various countries across the world has been in existence from time immemorial before COVID-19 disrupted the supply. He added that the export has improved the state’s internally generated revenue.

“Aso-ofi textile products are being exported to the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, among others. Recently, the state facilitated a N5 million loan from the Bank of Industry (BOI) at a very low-interest rate to the weavers and also influenced the direct supply of cotton to them. This is really important as the state is currently focused on boosting its revenue base through tourism and other non-oil sectors,” the commissioner told this reporter on phone.

cc: Lalasticlala, seun, onila, farano, prettythicksme, mynd44

Source: https://www.dataphyte.com/latest-reports/aso-ofi-the-women-led-traditional-cloth-weaving-practice-is-in-danger-of-extinction/