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Electoral Reform Must Follow Readiness, Not Rhetoric As Connectivity Is Still Very Low In Rural Areas -ADSC Boss, Oluwafemi

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President and Chief Executive
Africa Development Studies Centre (ADSC) and Member, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, Sir Victor Oluwafemi has said Electoral Reforms must follow readiness, not rhetoric as connectivity is still very low in rural areas of Nigeria.

The ADSC president made this assertion in a statement on Monday declaring that:

“The Office of the President and Chief Executive of the Africa Development Studies Centre (ADSC) issues this statement as an expert governance and public policy advisory on the ongoing national discourse surrounding electronic voting and real time transmission of election results in Nigeria.

“This intervention is not political. It is institutional, evidence based, and grounded in systems thinking drawn from comparative governance practice and digital transformation experience.

He insisted that Nigeria is not yet structurally ready for real time result transmission as Nigeria’s democratic aspiration must be matched by infrastructural reality.

“At present, the push for real time electronic transmission of election results risks prioritising speed over integrity, and visibility over verifiability.

“Nigeria still conducts elections through manual voting, manual counting, and physical documentation at polling units.

“Every valid result begins with paper processes, human procedures, and environmental dependencies that technology alone cannot correct.

“Without stable electricity, universal telecom coverage, cyber resilient systems, uniform training, and legal clarity, real time transmission remains aspirational rather than operational.

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Oluwafemi explained that: “Attempting to enforce it nationwide under current conditions risks three serious outcomes:
• Disenfranchisement, particularly in rural and low connectivity communities
• Expanded cyber vulnerability, where perception of compromise alone can delegitimise outcomes
• Increased post election litigation, due to conflicting evidentiary standards

“Even advanced democracies do not prioritise instant transmission over auditability. They retain paper as the legal anchor while using technology to support verification, reconciliation, and transparency.

“The Issue Is Not Technology. It Is Sequencing.

“Electoral reform must be engineered as national infrastructure, not introduced as an election season feature.

“From a governance systems perspective, Nigeria requires a phased and platform based approach to electoral modernisation.

“This is where Policy as a Platform (PaaP) and Results as a Service (RaaS) provide practical, non partisan pathways forward.

What Policy as a Platform (PaaP) Offers INEC

“PaaP reframes electoral reform as a continuous, standards driven governance system.

Applied to the electoral process, PaaP would:
• Establish minimum national readiness thresholds for power, connectivity, cybersecurity, and device integrity
• Enable gradual, geographically sequenced deployment rather than a risky nationwide switch
• Align law, operations, technology, and dispute resolution into one coherent electoral platform
• Institutionalise transparency and auditability as design features, not post election explanations

“Under PaaP, elections are treated as engineered systems, not improvised events.

What Results as a Service (RaaS) Delivers

“RaaS shifts national focus away from how quickly results appear, towards how credibly they are produced.

For electoral administration, RaaS would:
• Treat each polling unit result as a verified service output with defined checks and validation stages
• Prioritise reconciliation, traceability, and audit trails before public visibility
• Reduce disputes by strengthening confidence in process rather than accelerating announcements
• Measure success by acceptance and legitimacy, not by transmission speed

In democratic governance, trust is built on proof, not on immediacy.

ADSC Advisory Position

“Nigeria does not need to abandon electoral technology. It needs to respect the order of reform.

“Infrastructure must come before automation. Verification must come before visibility. Trust must come before speed.

“Until foundational gaps in power, connectivity, cybersecurity, operational discipline, and legal coherence are addressed, real time electronic transmission of results should remain a medium term objective, not an immediate mandate.

“Electoral reform must be deliberate, inclusive, and system ready.

“That is how democracies endure, he added.

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Governor Yusuf Sacks Sagagi as Kano Commissioner Of Commerce

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Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has relieved Alhaji Shehu Wada Sagagi of his appointment as Commissioner for Investment, Commerce and Industry with immediate effect.

This was contained in a statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, on Thursday.

According to the statement, the former Commissioner is directed to hand over the affairs of the ministry to the Director Commerce with immediate effect.

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Governor Yusuf expressed appreciation for the services rendered by the former commissioner during his tenure.

He acknowledged Sagagi’s contributions to the development of the state, particularly in the areas of politics, religion, small and medium enterprises.

The Governor wished him success in his future endeavours as he reassured the public of his administration’s continued commitment to efficient service delivery and good governance in the state.

This decision is part of the ongoing strategic realighment of government structures for systematic growth and sustainable development.

 

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Terrorist Logistics Suppliers Apprehended in Borno

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

 

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, OPHK, have apprehended 18 suspected logistics suppliers allegedly enroute Gubio, with plans to proceed to the Gudumbali axis, a known Boko Haram terrorists, BHTs, enclave.

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai, OPHK, have apprehended 18 suspected logistics suppliers allegedly enroute Gubio, with plans to proceed to the Gudumbali axis, a known Boko Haram terrorists, BHTs, enclave.

This is contained in a daily operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday.

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The military said the suspects were intercepted while travelling towards the location to deliver the goods to the terrorists.

According to the report, preliminary investigation revealed that all 18 suspects confessed to engaging in the supply of goods to the terrorist group.

“They admitted that they routinely purchase and convey items to the terrorists.

“Their justification was lack of employment, which points to a deeper socio-economic challenge in Maiduguri and its environs,” the army said.

The development, according to the reportt, validates recent remarks by the Chief of Defence Staff on the link between economic hardship and the sustenance of insurgency logistics networks.

“The arrest highlights the critical role of civilian collaborators in sustaining terrorist operations, particularly in remote areas such as Gubio and Gudumbali,” it added.

The army called for a comprehensive approach combining military operations with economic empowerment and job creation to address the root causes of insurgency in the region.

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Kano Gov’t  Offers Study Scholarship to SWAN Members

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By Abdulgafar Oladimeji

Kano state government has  facilitated and supported   members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN Kano chapter  to proceed to pursue professional certification courses  in sports journalism, our correspondent reports .

The Special  Adviser , youths and sports to Kano state governor, Sani Musa Danja, disclosed that the offer covers their tuition fees.

He said ,   the beneficiaries  have been identified and their enrolment process have been completed.

According to him,  through interactions with stakeholders , the decision was reached for  some sports writers, who  are faced with the challenge of acquiring the required professional qualification to practice their trade should be given support to fill the gap.

said, findings have revealed that , for Kano sports writers to compete favorably there exists the urgent need to empower members of the association  to acquire certain requisite qualification to enable them feature amongst the best in Nigeria and beyond.

Danja speaking, when he hosted SWAN members in his  office , located within the premises of Kano state Library Complex, along Ahmadu Bello Way said that  the state government, under Abba Kabir Yusuf ,  on discovering this major   challenge , acted swiftly to address the lapses, by offering  to sponsor 10 SWAN  members to pursue professional diploma in Sports Journalism at El Roi London University.

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In his word  “ we give thanks to almighty Allah for his mercies, I want to thank our mentor and leader, his excellency governor, Abba Kabiru Yusuf , who made this possible.

“his excellency takes the issue of empowering our people very seriously, the challenge facing our sports journalists is principally the issue of professional certification, some of our sports journalists have their degrees in other fields, but we are aware that, they also require to obtain certain  minimum qualification in journalism or other related fields to help them to excel .

“in line with the policy of the government of his excellency, we have moved in to make sure , these sons and daughter of Kano overcome  this hinderance that may hinder their professional progress.

“the sports media is the back bone of sports development and sports promotion, our government is focused and committed to  support and reshape the sports media to achieve the set out goal to empower Kano youths through sports.

“the mission  of his excellency through this gesture is   to empower our professional sports journalists and give them the required qualification to continue with their pursuit to upward steadily representation of  Kano state in that sector.

 

Danja hinted that,  Kano state government remains unrepentant  in its  upward investment drive to create a generation  of professionals that  would keep the state afloat on the terrain of quality and abundance human resources.

Reacting, chairman SWAN Kano chapter, comrade Zahradeen Saleh thanked the state government for the support.

He said, the scholarship offer is an major step towards uplifting the practice of sports journalism in the state.

He said the dividends of sports could only  accrue with the effective operations of the sporting press through the training and re-training of sports writers.

He admitted that, acquiring the requisite qualification to practice  sports journalism has been one of the major challenges confronting members of the association.

“ our members  who are the beneficiaries of this offer are  youths, on completion of the professional course, they will have stable professional growth and  would be better equipped to contribute their quota to the development of the state.” Zahradeen said .

 

 

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