Electronic voters’ registration begins 28th June – INEC Chairman

Against the backdrop of myriad of crises bedeviling the Nigeria Nation, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan has asked the media to set agenda for better tomorrow for the country.

This is as the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), declared that electronic registration of voters will commence on the 28th of this month.

Lawan’s challenge to the Media on agenda for better tomorrow was made Thursday in Abuja in his speech at the 10th Anniversary/Impact Series and Awards organised by the Blueprint Newspapers.

The task according to him, is very necessary in the face of the dark patch the country is going through and wrong narratives along ethnic, religious, cultural and geographical diversities, cynically minded Nigerians are painting on them.

The narratives according to him, are fake because they were against what the founding fathers of the Nation stood for.

“Our founding fathers were first to acknowledge our diversity. But they were also convinced that by standing in brotherhood, each generation can hand over to the next a banner without stains in the long race to building the great nation that they believed Nigeria is destined to be.

“I still fervently believe in that destiny. And in spite of the current clouds under which we are sailing, I urge every Nigerian to hold on to that faith.

“It is against this backdrop that I will challenge the media to reaffirm their faith in Nigeria and rededicate themselves to their role as the fourth estate of the realm.

“That role asks them not just to produce the first draft of a grim history but to set the agenda for a bright tomorrow for their country.

“That role requires them to responsibly moderate public conversation and debate, douse tension, resolve disputes including by providing context for issues, and help in stabilizing the polity”, he said .

He stressed further that in this age of information, the media play a crucial role in creating national unity and remodelling of public opinions.

Crisis he added, is inevitable in any society, but can also be used to drive development when properly managed, saying “the Nigerian media must, therefore, always seek to help the nation turn its crises into wheels of progress”.

He commended the Publisher/ Chairman of the Blueprint Newspaper, Alhaji Mohammed Idris for his tenacity of purpose in seeing to the survival and success of the Newspaper in the face of daunting challenges.

He said: Unlike most of its older colleagues with which it has been confidently rubbing shoulders since it hit the newsstand in 2011, Blueprint is a child of democracy, having been born and bred under the Fourth Republic.

“And from the scope and tone of its reporting, I believe that this newspaper was conceived from a patriotic desire by its founders to contribute to building a stable democracy in Nigeria, as a vehicle for conveying our nation to its manifest destiny of unity, peace and prosperity”.

In his paper presentation at the ceremony, the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, declared that as a way of using technological innovation as antidote to election rigging, electronic voters registration has been conceived by the Commission and will be launched on the 28th of this month.

The INEC Chairman who was represented by the Commission’s Director of ICT, Engineer Chief Nwako, said the innovation, will go a long way in eliminating election rigging at the stage of voters’ registration

The former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan was awarded icon of democracy at the event while 15 serving governors bagged best Governor of the year award in different categories.