The Nigerian Guild of Editors has upbraided the Independent National Electoral Commission for the shoddy arrangements it put in place for the issuance of the Permanent Voter Cards across the country.
The NGE, however, said what is most paramount now will be the handling of the upcoming general elections by INEC as the focus of the rest of the world is on Nigeria.
According to a communique issued at the end of its last Quarterly Meeting for 2014 in Lagos, the NGE called for fair play during the elections.
The communique, signed by the Guild’s President, Femi Adesina, said no Nigerian should be disenfranchised during the elections despite the challenges faced during the issuance of the PVCs.
The Guild equally advised the political class to play according to the rules during the elections.
It called on the government to grapple with the fall in oil price in a way that it would not have adverse effect on the nation’s economy.
It said the time had come for the government to put in place policies that will lead to the development of other sectors of the economy and move away from sole dependence on oil for survival.
The statement reads in full: “The Nigerian Guild of Editors urges fair play in the February 2015 general elections, as the reputation of the country, as well as that of the Independent National Electoral Commission is at stake. With the shoddy arrangements in the issuance of Permanent Voters Cards, there is urgent need for INEC to redeem the process by ensuring that eligible voters are not disenfranchised.
“Editors advise the political class, security agents and the populace to be cautious in their utterances, abide by the rules of campaigning and exhibit tolerance before and during the elections to avoid over-heating the polity. Security agencies, particularly, should be non-partisan.
“The Guild laments that insurgency has lasted for too long in the northern part of the country, especially in Nigeria’s North East, with its attendant huge death toll and massive number of Internally Displaced Persons. The crises call for harmonisation of efforts, change of tactics, and a review of the country’s security architecture, to win the war.
“The Guild notes that the sudden sharp fall in global oil prices is a wake up call on the Nigerian government to urgently go beyond rhetorics by developing economic policies and measures to diversify the economy. Federal and other arms of Government must take drastic actions to reduce the huge cost of governance, particularly in the face of recently announced austerity measures.
“The Guild laments the high failure rate in the just released November/December results of the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, believing it is symptomatic of the decay in the education sector. It therefore calls for increased allocation to the education sector, and training and retraining of teachers.
“The Guild appreciates the unifying role of Sports globally, and laments that as the Nations Cup kicks off in January 2015, our national team, Super Eagles and defending champions will be conspicuously absent at the AFCON tournament. The football authorities are therefore urged to resolve all issues bedevilling the nation’s sports sector with promptitude.”The Nigerian Guild of Editors has upbraided the Independent National Electoral Commission for the shoddy arrangements it put in place for the issuance of the Permanent Voter Cards across the country.
The NGE, however, said what is most paramount now will be the handling of the upcoming general elections by INEC as the focus of the rest of the world is on Nigeria.
According to a communique issued at the end of its last Quarterly Meeting for 2014 in Lagos, the NGE called for fair play during the elections.
The communique, signed by the Guild’s President, Femi Adesina, said no Nigerian should be disenfranchised during the elections despite the challenges faced during the issuance of the PVCs.
The Guild equally advised the political class to play according to the rules during the elections.
It called on the government to grapple with the fall in oil price in a way that it would not have adverse effect on the nation’s economy.
It said the time had come for the government to put in place policies that will lead to the development of other sectors of the economy and move away from sole dependence on oil for survival.
The statement reads in full: “The Nigerian Guild of Editors urges fair play in the February 2015 general elections, as the reputation of the country, as well as that of the Independent National Electoral Commission is at stake. With the shoddy arrangements in the issuance of Permanent Voters Cards, there is urgent need for INEC to redeem the process by ensuring that eligible voters are not disenfranchised.
“Editors advise the political class, security agents and the populace to be cautious in their utterances, abide by the rules of campaigning and exhibit tolerance before and during the elections to avoid over-heating the polity. Security agencies, particularly, should be non-partisan.
“The Guild laments that insurgency has lasted for too long in the northern part of the country, especially in Nigeria’s North East, with its attendant huge death toll and massive number of Internally Displaced Persons. The crises call for harmonisation of efforts, change of tactics, and a review of the country’s security architecture, to win the war.
“The Guild notes that the sudden sharp fall in global oil prices is a wake up call on the Nigerian government to urgently go beyond rhetorics by developing economic policies and measures to diversify the economy. Federal and other arms of Government must take drastic actions to reduce the huge cost of governance, particularly in the face of recently announced austerity measures.
“The Guild laments the high failure rate in the just released November/December results of the West African Examinations Council, WAEC, believing it is symptomatic of the decay in the education sector. It therefore calls for increased allocation to the education sector, and training and retraining of teachers.
“The Guild appreciates the unifying role of Sports globally, and laments that as the Nations Cup kicks off in January 2015, our national team, Super Eagles and defending champions will be conspicuously absent at the AFCON tournament. The football authorities are therefore urged to resolve all issues bedevilling the nation’s sports sector with promptitude.”