Alarm Over INEC Boss, Attahiru Jega’s Plan To Print Election Materials Abroad!

There is a growing alarm in the political circles – and beyond.

And this development centers around moves by helms man of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), Proffesor Attahiru Jega to print and import materials for the looming general elections abroad.

He is said to be looking at a company based in South Africa or another in the United Kingdom.

Stakeholders fears over this attempt is premised on the security and economic implication of the move.

Against the backdrop of taking the risk against the background of successful staging of elections in the past with locally made materials.

Investigations by scietynowng.com revealed printing the materials abroad, especially in the face of pressure on the national currency puts increased strain on it’s value and the economy as whole.

The nation’s apex financial instiuttion under the leadership of crack financial administrator , Godwin Emeffiele – Central Bank of Nigeria recently devalued the naira to steady the economy. And the President Economic adviser’s advocated cost stifling economic plays to leverage on the CBN’s bold move.

Attempts by the Inec Boss to incur major national cost by printing general elections materials abroad would take major points away from strategy to revamp the economy an insider insist..

Added to alarms being raised are issues that though Jega might have the best of intentions his plans have possible far reaching consequences that greatly outweighs the advantages.

‘ Inec is not directly printing, the electoral body will give the job to a company chosen through bidding process….in a system as porous as ours, who determines the political sympathy or who is behind what company? or who do you really esnure Mr B doesn’t hijack the process to suit his political agenda’ an deep source queried.

Further digs by societynowng.com revealed that also part of cause for alarm is fear it doesn’t turn out ‘another scheme to siphon money abroad by some people’.

Insiders disclosed that though he is pushy about executing his plan the Inec boss is still at cross road with the Presidency on the issue.

The President and his handlers are said to be mindful of the cost implication of the exercise and particularly the resourcefulness of the opposition at getting things done.

According to a source Professor Jega and his crew are still having a hard time convincing ‘President Goodluck Jonathan’s economic management team on the propriety of spending scarce foreign exchange on jobs that can easily be handled by the NSPMC’

The Nigerian Security and Printing and Minting Plc, (NSPMC) has the constitutional backing to print sensitive security materials in the country such as election materials and currencies.

And according to a source who should know the NSPMC ‘lately printed the Nigerian currency with security features that are comparable with the ones found on some of the world’s major currencies like the US Dollar and the British Pound’.

In a recent interaction with online platform the post, Chief Press Secretary for INEC , Kayode Idowu confirmed that ‘several comapnies have submitted bids to handle the printing of the materials’ but went on to claim ‘ when a bid is finally approved, the commission might not make it public so that politicians do not infiltrate the organisation’

According to the post Idowu equally confirmed that ‘Inec is yet to take a decision on where the materials for the elections would be printed’