The Independent National Electoral Commission broke records on Monday when it demanded N305bn for the 2023 general elections. That is a huge money in all ramifications.
It is a lot of money in a nation swimming in debts, while taking more and yearning for more and more. It is also so in a nation bedevilled with social ills that include insecurity, collapse of infrastructure, falling educational, health and other services.
It is thus not surprising that the declaration by INEC is generating dust. Apart from the fact that people have the usual fear of possible diversion and mismanagement, one could be tempted to ponder whether or not Nigerian elections are worth the hassles they unleash on people. Are people really benefitting from the elections? Are the politicians being elected truly delivering dividends?
It is so bad that, after spending so much money, it is wrong and devilish officers that get elected or declared elected in many cases. You spend so much money to elect Presidents who hardly perform above average, and many governors, lawmakers and others who are unable to provide true leadership and even mess up the treasuries in many cases.
No wonder, in school debates, when civilian governments and the military are being compared, one of the points for the latter is that civilian government is too expensive. Based on the INEC’s request, it is very expensive indeed – especially in Nigeria where elections also harbour the character of expensive jokes.
INEC made the demand when it presented its budget to the National Assembly on Monday in Abuja.
Its chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the presentation to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
The committee had invited INEC to present the budget so as to include it in the 2022 budget billed for passage by both chambers of the National Assembly on Tuesday.
According to INEC Chairman, the N305 billion is different from the N40 billion yearly budget of the electoral body.
The News Agency of Nigeria noted that while N100 billion had been released to the Commission out of the total projected expenditure, it would not be enough for adequate preparation towards 2023.
“The Commission made a submission through the Executive being part of the Executive body.
“We made a submission for N305 billion for the 2023 general elections in a very comprehensive 22-page document with 260 budget lines.
“In submitting the Executive proposal to the National Assembly, N140 million was made available to INEC as a one-line item in the budget.
“As usual, we broke it down and submitted same to the committee that oversights INEC in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
“The N140 billion was broken into two; we take it that N40 billion is our regular budget as an agency of government and N100 billion is the first tranche of the 2022 budget.
“We have gone ahead to make provisions accordingly.
“The N40 billion annual budgets include expenditures for particularly off-season elections.
“It may interest the committee to know that we have eight bye-elections pending; three federal constituencies and five state constituencies.
“In fact, the last vacancy occurred only last Wednesday following the death of a member representing Jiwa West in Kaduna State,’’ he said.
In making a case for additional releases from the N205 billion balance, Prof. Yakubu listed activities that must be conducted ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“What we have done is to look at the activities that we have to conduct before the general elections.
“There are activities that must be concluded. If you are going to replace some of the critical facilities like ballot boxes and voting cubicles, these things must be done before the elections.
“Party primaries must be conducted and concluded before the elections and names of candidates submitted, registration of voter’s would have to be concluded before the elections.
“Printing of Permanent Voters Cards would have to be concluded before the elections and some of the critical election technology must be concluded and procured before the elections,’’ Yakubu said.
In his remarks, committee chairman, Sen. Jibrin Barau (APC-Kano North) said that the required appropriation would be made for the electoral body in the 2022 budget.
Barau assured that the report of the committee on the 2022 budget proposals would be laid in plenary at both chambers on Tuesday, considered and passed. (
