With worries over credible elections seriously heating up the polity ahead of the 2015 general election, the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), has advised the federal government to prevail on the National Electoral Commission (INEC) to adopt the electronic voting (e-voting) mechanism Nigerian engineers had developed inconjuction with NigComSat to make future elections more successful.
Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday, at a pre-inaugural press briefing ahead of his inauguration on Saturday, the newly-elected President of NSE, Mr. Ademola Olorunfemi, stated that the e-voting system developed by the engineers was deployed in the successful conduct of the society’s elections in 2012 and 2013.
“Our bid to demonstrate our capability is clearly seen in the collaboration of NSE and NigComSat Limited. The society has through partnership deployed e-voting, wholly developed by Nigerian engineers, for the election of officers in 2012 and 2013,” he said.
He added: “E-voting is workable. The federal government should direct INEC to key into it.”
According to him, even if it could not be deployed for the entire country at a time, the important thing is to start gradually.
Olorunfemi pointed out that within a space of five years, complete deployment of e-voting could be achieved, thus eliminating irregularities associated with general elections in the country and the concomitant violence that was oftentimes witnessed.
He stated that although the NSE had brought this to the knowledge of government in the past, the onus was now on it and other stakeholders to intensify pressure on it to pressure the electoral body to adopt it as soon as possible.
The incoming NSE president who was elected last month, assured that all the technical know-how and equipment were available locally.
As such, he urged the federal government to pay greater attention to the implementation of the Nigerian Content Development Act to ensure that indigenous engineers and locally manufactured products were patronised ahead of foreign ones.
“As you are aware, the Nigerian Content Development Act 2010 was framed within the context of growth of Nigerian entrepreneurship and the domestication of assets to fully realise Nigeria’s strategic development goals,” the NSE boss said.
He disclosed that towards actualising high living standards for Nigerians, NSE action groups was set up to monitor policies and programmes affecting critical sectors of the nation’s economy. According to him, this would be done for the purpose of engineering input and liaising with relevant stakeholders from the public and private sectors to ensure coordinated action for a sustainable infrastructural development.
Olorunfemi also announced that among priorities of his administration would be a strong advocacy to ensure that government considered the Nigerian professional first in job placements or contract awards “in the efforts to tackle our development and build sustainable development.”
In addition, he disclosed that NSE had a job bureau, whose duty is to identify opportunities to help young engineers to either explore entrepreneurship or find suitable placement in organisations where they can continue to improve their skills, excel and earn decent living.
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