Enugu declares public holidays for voters registration
January 10, 2007

The Enugu State Government has announced that Thursday the 18th and Friday the 19th January 2007 will be observed as public holidays to enable civil and public servants in the state revalidate their voters cards.
To this end, the State Government has declared a one week voter registration revalidation improvement exercise in the state starting from Monday the 15th day of January, 2007. It will end on Monday 22nd January, 2007.

These were contained in an eight-point action plan announced by the State Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, at a meeting with all stakeholders in the on-going voters revalidation exercise, towards the education and sensitization of the general public for a successful exercise.

Governor Nnamani, who was represented at the meeting by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dan Shere, announced that all major markets in the state will start market transactions from twelve noon each day for the two days of the public holidays.

According to the Governor, “Market transactions in all the major markets in the state have to start from 12 noon on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January, 2007 respectively while civil and public servants will observe these days as public holidays,” he said.

Governor Nnamani made it clear that the revalidation of voters cards is compulsory for all 18 years and above in all primary and post primary schools in the state and therefore directed the Chairman of the Post Primary School Management Board (PPSMB) and Principals of schools to ensure strict compliance.

In addition, said the governor, all political office holders, local government council chairmen, traditional rulers and town union executives in the state are required to use their positions and influence to mobilize their people to ensure a successful exercise in their areas.

The Governor used the occasion to announce other measures put in place by the government to ensure that the exercise was treated with the seriousness attached to it by the government.

According to him, payment of January 2007 salary to all public and civil servants in the state will be based on the presentation of voters card, and that the registration of children in all government schools, as well as all transactions with government ministries, would be based on the presentation of the voters card.

The State Chief Executive said that government took these measures because of people’s carefree attitude towards the exercise and wondered why the state could not re-validate at least the number of voters it had already registered before.

In his words, “we have not attained up to 30% of the previous registration… so there is no reason why our people could not revalidate at least what we already registered in the past, that is, above 1.45 million”, he stated.

Meanwhile, the State Government has set up three committees at both State, Local Government and Ward levels to help coordinate and ensure the success of the revalidation exercise in the state.

Members of the State Committee include the Secretary to the State Government as Chairman, Chief of Staff to the Governor, State INEC Commissioner, State ENSIEC Chairman, the Commissioner for Information, the State Commissioner of Police, State Director of SSS, Chief Security Officer to the Governor and representative of ALGON.

For each of the 17 local government areas, members, said the government, shall include the Co-ordinating Chairman as Chairman, other development center Chairmen, the DPO, Chairman Traditional Rulers Council, INEC Officers in-charge of the council area, the ENSIEC Administrative Officer and Town Union Chairmen.

Others are the Local Government Information Officer, NULGE, NUT, NURTW Chairmen in the local government council, Chairmen of Motorcycle Transport Union, All political appointees and all PDP party Chairmen of the Local Government Area.

Members of the Ward Committees comprise the Councilor as well as the Chairman, the traditional rulers, all school proprietors, representative of the clergy and NGOs, Ward Chairmen of PDP and Town Union Executives in the area.

The Governor said that, to ensure the smooth conduct of the exercise, Local Government Chairmen must provide at least one electric power generating set per electoral ward, ink pad for each unit of the machine and motorcycle transport for those working in the hinterland, as well as other logistics.

According to the Governor, “Government is very serious about this and has set up a state committee to play supervisory role in all the 17 local government areas. The local governments have to work through the local government committees to provide at least one generator per electoral ward, ink pad for each unit of the machine… motorcycle transport for those who are going to work in the hinterland and provide sundry logistics”, he said.

In their reactions, the Chairman Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, Igwe Jeremiah Onovo and Prince Alex Akpa, Chairman, State Post Primary School Management Board commended Governor Nnamani for the action plan introduced for the revalidation exercise and pledged to use their positions to mobilize the people to ensure its success.