LAGOS STATE STILL DELIVERING THE DIVIDENDS OF DEMOCRACY

LAGOS STATE: STILL DELIVERING THE DIVIDENDS OF DEMOCRACY:
IKORODU-MILE 12 BRT EXTENSION

The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, on behalf of the Lagos State Government, on Wednesday 20th May 2015 held an enlarged Stakeholders' Meeting at the CCECC work yard , Majidun to thank the people of Ikorodu, and all stakeholders within and along the Ikorodu-Mile 12 corridor, for their support in ensuring that the BRT extension project which commenced over 24 months ago gets completed without any major hitches and or tragedies.

The project which enjoyed the support of the World Bank, has seen a major transformation of Mile12- Ikorodu route ,

with the expansion of the road from a single dual carriageway to a 6 lane (3 on each side) expressway, new BRT bus stops along the corridor , pedestrian bridges , side walks and a healthy dose of road furniture.
Residents at the Stakeholders' meeting , overwhelmed with joy , expressed their gratitude to LAMATA and the Lagos State government for delivering on their promise to the people of Ikorodu and the Wetland Communities.

Engr. Rabiu
Chairman, Wetland Communities.

Capturing the feelings of the people of the Wetland communities, the Chairman of Wetland Communities, Engineer Rabiu said : "We have all for been yearning for this type of development so we are so happy, and we appreciate the effort of Lagos State Government for making the promise 'fulfilled' on time."


The head of the Market women and men at Ikorodu, Iya lója general, Iyalode Allyson

Iyalode Allyson
Iyaloja General, Ikorodu.

overwhelmed with joy thanked LAMATA and the Lagos State Government "not only for delivering such a world class road, but also for fulfilling the promise of relocating and building a modern market for the traders at Ikorodu."
This extension project is one more dividend of democracy delivered to the people of Lagos State.

REMEMBERING AALIYAH:

Aaliyah

Samplers of good music , like connoisseurs of good wine are always on the lookout for the next good music or the next vintage wine. Once in every while though, the past hits back at us and demands we take notice. Many who loved the '90s brand of music and Rap, still remember the breathtaking deliveries of the late superstar and screen Diva Aaliyah Haughton, known to many simply as Aaliyah.
One of her greatest tracks , "One in a Million" went platinum back in the day and dance hall animals of the era I guess would still remember how many 'belly-buttons' they 'pushed' as a result of it.

Aaliyah

 One person who is keen on ensuring the Diva is kept alive in the minds of music lovers all over the world is multi-talented producer Timbaland . Timbaland has made it a point to encourage artistes that he works with to keep the magic in Aaliyah's songs alive.
The Super-Producer who is currently working with a relatively new act, singer, songwriter and rapper Trinity Home, better known by her stage name as Tink,

Tink 

is paying homage to Aaliyah in a new track titled "Millions", a mix-tape version of the Late Aaliyah's platinum hitting song "One in a Million". Tink's rendition is considered to be a bridge between Old school and new school R&B. This home girl from Calumet, Illinois threw a light into the corners of her soul recently with this tweet which indeed shows why she may yet take the world by storm in a not too distant future : "I'm not clingy, I'm just intimate. I'm not insecure, I'm just sensitive."

Tink 

Tink who turned 20 in March this year, has been enchanting hearts across America with her sultry mix tapes (5 to date since 2012), and is due to release her studio album this year on the Mosely Music Group label run by --- you guessed it , Timbaland.

NOLLYWOOD AGAIN

NOLLYWOOD AGAIN:

Nollywood, Africa's largest and most vibrant film industry has lost yet another gem , a veteran, Peter Bunor. In recent years Nollywood has lost some of its finest actors including the Late Same Loco Efe, Justus Esiri,  Enebeli Elebuwa and Muna Obiekwe.

Peter Bunor

The Late Peter Bunor had suffered from stroke for a while before passing on, bringing to the fore once again the issue of lack of 'deliverable' health insurance for an industry that in 2013 alone generated a total revenue of =N= 1.72 Trillion ($10 Billion) . This also highlights the true situation of Nollywood -- an industry that lacks proper corporate structures and basically exploits its biggest assets , the Actors and Actresses.
For a country where there is no lack of innovative entrepreneurship it is sad that none of the big insurance companies think it worth their while to provide comprehensive health cover in an affordable way for actors who in truth and indeed are not as affluent as the screen characters they portray.

Health insurance is critical and crucial for Nollywood as the recent spate of deaths may be an indication that the lifestyle of actors -- late night shoots and poor eating habits may in the long run impact negatively on Nollywood.

READY FOR FAST AND FURIOUS 8?

READY FOR FURIOUS 8 ?
Fast action, adrenaline hyped movie addicts are by now wondering if there will really be one last throw of the dice for them. Although accounts indicate that "Fast and Furious 7 has been bursting bank vaults, but with the sad passing away of Paul Walker on 30th November 2013, many were thinking that would be the end of this amazing action 'longstory'.

However the feelers out there show that indeed there will be FAST AND FURIOUS 8.
 A release date for the movie has already been set according to the SOURCE magazine:
http://thesource.com/2015/04/24/furious-8-coming-to-theaters-in-2017/
Well, at least the adrenaline dose is guaranteed!!

Fallouts of the Eblola Crisis: Returning to school in Post Ebola Sierra Leone :

FALLOUTS OF THE EBOLA CRISIS -- RETURNING TO SCHOOL IN POST EBOLA SIERRA LEONE :

        Laughter perched on their faces,
        smiles brightened the corners of their eyes.
        With swinging steps and swaying paces
        clutching satchels, and bags and what-have-you,
                 They trudged on,
                            ...drove on
                          .... raced on.....
                       'Tis time for school once again.

The chirping was endless. Careful not to hold hands unnecessarily, they nonetheless told their stories with zest. Each had his or her own story to tell: Each with his group of friends. All you had to do was listen as some shouted above their voices and others laughed on. For school children of all ages in Sierra Leone, Tuesday 14th April was a welcome 'release'.
After almost 7 months away from school, and a hard to calculate degradation of Education in Sierra Leone, Schools were instructed to reopen by government on Tuesday April 14th, 2015. In an effort to encourage parents to send their children to school, government also announced it would pay the school fees of all children in government schools. But typical to Sierra Leone, the first week saw less than 50% return rate. However, one week on, the number of returning students and pupils doubled.

For many parents it was great joy that their children would begin the upward climb again -- to gain an education they so badly need. For others it was a blessing that Government had promised to pay the school fees of all students in all government schools.

For a few of us though, this was a 'red-flag'.

The intentions are no doubt noble, but the practicality of it bothers the thinking mind. With yawning gaps in the quality of the facilities and school assets and the salaries of teachers and education workers waiting to be serviced, and the unpaid subsidies to government schools, plus the many other commitments struggling the capture government's limited resources, one wonders if this good intention is not, in actuality, a recipe for disaster. A local newspaper reported an encounter in Bo, at the Methodist Primary School. One of the teachers could not help but say:

 "we have not received any subsidy from government for two terms now and yet government says we should not collect fees..." She left the sentence hanging. Her unspoken words painting a far more clear picture than any spoken words could have done.

It is an Igbo proverb that says: you look at the size of a child's hand before you cut Eba and put into it. Unfortunately for Sierra Leone, government is both the parent and the child in this instance.

While in Freetown many parents may indeed still keep their younger children in the non-government owned schools , knowing that these schools do provide a little more in terms of quality of education , parents in the provinces on the other hand, may decide to seize upon this goodwill gesture, and before you know it the schools may be overwhelmed by the sheer number of students turning up.

The bigger question however, is this : How does a government whose economy is in dire trouble, fund a project such as this ? Where will the money come from ? I must admit that NRA claims they have exceeded the projected target for the quarter, but I guess it is no secret that a number of very vital multinationals operating in the country have either scaled down considerably or closed shop.

Being the fourth month of the year it is quite certain that government did not provide for this expenditure in the 2015 appropriations. If indeed this government intends to open up the education space and offer more children the opportunity to access education would it not have been better to encourage truly international non-profit organizations to assimilate the fees for students as a direct responsibility, with a few select government schools(on a trial basis at first), so that government can free itself to attend to its obligation of providing quality facilities and assets for the schools under its care, as well as ensure that workers in the education sector receive their salaries and compensations as at when due without 'ifs or buts'. To develop such a plan of action would require detailed consultation and rigorous work with technocrats in Education from Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora as well as those at home and  in concert with International community.
                                                           ..... Victor Omotayo Sawyerr 21/04/2015

[Kindly feel free to share your thoughts with us. Also feel free to comment on this opinion and others in this blogsite. We value your contribution.]

SIERRA LEONE : RETURNING TO A NEW NORMAL

SIERRA LEONE: RETURNING TO A NEW NORMAL.
Flying into Lungi International Airport on Sunday 12th April 2015 was no different from when I flew in, in April last year. The land space looked the same. Surface structure looked the same as well. But a year ago faces smiled easier. Last year when someone smiled it easily became a laugh. One year on smiles fizzled out before they reached the eyes. At the entrance to the terminal building everyone queued for the mandatory hand wash. This also was not there last year.
Checking through immigration was quick and easy, but the airport seemed lean. One year ago it was busy, robust. Not so this time. I forgot myself. I stretched out a hand for a shake to a friend who worked at Lungi and had come to help me evacuate my luggage. My hand was left hanging. My friend busied himself fretting about my luggage. I collected myself. I did not need to remember. The memory was there all along, only sub-surface. Now it imposed itself on me: Ebola.
We got to the airport shuttle that would take me to the sea coach terminal. I thanked my friend. He barely looked me in the eyes. My sister had done the needful a day before, and all arrangements facilitated for getting me to town so I was sure my friend's reticence was not as result of pending obligations. We boarded the speed boat. Carefully guarded salutations were exchanged. Each passenger sat disciplined. Not the easy ' laid-back' ride a year ago. Ebola had abraded the collective 'easiness ' inside Sierra Leone. The sea coach ride to town was serene. Waves hit against each other as we sped along. Forced by the noisy quiet I sank into deep thoughts. How would my family react to me? Mama, my brother, my sister , my nephew, my little girl, my big boy, my nieces -- how would they react ? How would I react on seeing them? Would their psyche be so abraded as well, that they would stand aloof -- devoid of emotion not yielding to even a handshake? Tears pinched the corners of my eyes not because I was weak, but just because I could not bear to keep thinking the thoughts.
It was about 3.00 O'clock in the afternoon. I threw my eyes at the passing waters. The sunlight threw a shimmering silver pattern on the dancing waves as we sped along. There was beauty here. And warmth too. But is there now? Is this aloofness -- the' non-touch technique' -- the new normal? Would a smile be a always careful, henceforth?
My heart beat a little faster. We were almost at the Jetty at Aberdeen. As we turned into the Jetty I sighted Mama. She always had her 'head-tie' (enkincha) tied in a particular style, so I picked her out easily as she stretched her neck to see whether I was in the boat. Going on mid-eighties, mama was slender naturally. But now she looked very thin. Still agile and active, nonetheless something seemed missing. My eyes searched further. I saw my sister. She was still round but I could see she had lost some weight. I dragged on a bit before disembarking so I could watch without being seen. From the side as I watched. I felt something was missing. Not something tangible. Something effervescent. I could not place a finger on it. Then she saw me -- my sister. For a fleeting second the thought came to troubled me: Would I shake a hand-- her hand? It was the right thing to do wasn't it -- to NOT shake .
The thought lasted but a fleeting second. There was no reasoning this -- no reasoning here . I left my luggage, dashed forward and hugged her. Mama saw us and dashed towards us we hugged and my little jumped into my hands . They were all stronger than me -- emotionally. I chocked back a tear. Mama could not hold hers back it filled her eyes. We were raised with a different kind of closeness -- a different kind of attachment. We were closed in that embrace for no more than thirty seconds. When we pulled apart a few eyes were on us. But for me the bonding was good enough. There was a new normal in Sierra Leone and it has its own benefits but I was happy I could feel the heartbeat of my sister, see the tears well up in mama's eyes and experience the joy of my little girl's embrace.
At home an hour later, the evidence of Ebola's terror in Sierra Leone was visible too. The thinking and worry had gotten the better part of the family. The stringent measures had formed a part of their daily lives but for us there was still some warmth -- not from the hot African sun but from the love that glows within our hearts. And in my heart of hearts I pray this would not be the story of my family alone but the story of all Sierra Leoneans, who today or tomorrow may yet retell the Ebola Story.

                        ......... Victor Omotayo Sawyerr 18/4/2015
[Please feel free to share your stories with us or comment on any of ours.]

INEC INSIST ON PVC FOR GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS

NIGERIADECIDES2015: THE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS

With less than 24 hours to the Governorship elections INEC has once again affirmed that any voter who turns up at a polling unit without his Permanent voter's card (PVC) would not be allowed to vote.
This clarification comes on the heels of statements made by some Governors from the North who have been urging voters to come out and vote even if all they had were their temporary voters cards.

The consensus among general population is that the use of PVCs during the Presidential Elections thirteen days ago, helped in curbing election fraud.
Below is the  statement from INEC

INEC RELEASE

LAGOS2015

THE GUBERNATORIAL RACE KICKS IN

Lagos 2015: I’m In This Race To Serve, Says Ambode

AKINWUMI AMBODEThe governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, has maintained that he is in the race to serve.

The APC candidate, at the weekend, reassured supporters and stakeholders that he was in the race to serve humanity and lead by example.


In a statement by his Director of Media and Communications, Steve Ayorinde, Ambode said Lagos had a record of “excellent service” in the past 15 years and the more than 17 million people living and working in Africa’s largest city-state, “deserved a tested hand, who would continue in that tradition of excellence”.

The APC candidate said: “The governor that Lagos State deserves at this period of our continued growth and development is a man with a track record of performance and excellence; a man who is tested, who understands governance and is an experienced administrator who will not experiment with the resources and growth template of this state. I, Akinwunmi, Ambode, is that man”.

#NigeriaHasDecided2015: Quotable quotes.

QUOTABLE QUOTES FROM NigeriaHasDecided2015:

#NigeriaHasDecided.: President Johnathan Concedes defeat.

PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JOHNATHAN'S STATEMENT AFTER THE FINAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESULTS OF NIGERIA'S 2015 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Fellow Nigerians
I thank you all for turning out en-masse for the March 28th 2015.
I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure.
Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) , I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process basedon our constitution and our electoral laws in seeking redress. As I have always affirmed, nobody's ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our country is more important than anything else.
I congratulate all Nigerians for successfully going through the process of the March 28th General elections with commendable enthusiasm and committment that was demonstrated nationwide. I also commended the security services for their role in ensuring that the elections were mostly peaceful and violence free. To my colleagues in the PDP, I thank you for your support. Today the PDP should be celebrating rather than mourning. We have established a legacy of democratic freedom transparency economic growth and free ans fair elections.
For the past 16years we have steered the country away from ethnic and regional politics. We created a Pan-Nigerian political party and brought home to our people the realities of economic development and social transformation. Through patriotism and diligence we have built the biggest and most patriotic party Nigerian history. We must stand together as a party and look to the future with renewed optimism.
I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country, and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of affairs until the end of my tenure.
I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari.
May God Almighty continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
I thank you all
Goodluck Ebele Johnathan, GCFR.
March 31, 2015.

UPDATES AS INEC CONCLUDES COUNT: #NIGERIADECIDES2015
MARCH 31ST 2015
17:30 (5:30 PM) Nigerian Time
With all but one State left to be declared and General Muhammadu Buhari and APC leading by over 3 million votes the incumbent President Johnathan concedes defeat and calls to congratulate President elect, General Muhammadu Buhari. The final results clearly show that over-optimistic speculators were not 'over-optimistic" after all but had intuitively deciphered the mood of voting patterns and were speculating based on these intuitions.
By conceding defeat, outgoing President Johnathan has set the mood for a peaceful transition on May 29th 2015, drawing the curtains on an election which has already made history. This is the first time in Nigeria's political history that an opposition party will be declared winners at the Presidential elections. This is also the first time digital technology has been incorporated into the voting process in Nigeria. Also mking history, General Muhammadu Buhari is the most consistent Presidential contestant (4 times in a row) edging out Chief Awolowo (3 times) who was generally regarded as "the best President Nigeria NEVER had. President elect Muhammadu Buhari will also go down in Nigeria's history as the first man to be elected to the office of President only on the fourth time of asking. These facts should indeed set political precedents for the length and breath of Africa.
The impact of Social media on this election is worth a whole lot of study. The vibrant technology driven clan took advantage of the networking capabilities of Facebook and Twitter to massively tip the scales of balance on opinions, perception and ultimately the call to action. This should be another hugh precedent for African countries who are lacking the person to person network to inspire and initiate regime change. Employing the Nigerian Twitter and Facebook examples opposition parties in other African countries can muster the network desired to go out on election day and take the desired action of voting out a non-performing incumbent. The perseverance of voters on election day was outstanding. In some polling units people brought their own generators to light up the environment as polling officers did initial sorting of votes critically reducing all avenues of election mal-practice.
Indeed the lessons that this 2015 Presidential elections presents to Africa are numerous and may require careful study.
In General Buhari's Katsina state and many other States of Nigeria the happiness of the common man is visible in the streets.
The Nation smiles as the collective will of the people triumph. April 11th is the day each State seeks out who will captain the ship of state for the next four years. Again we watch.


22:06 (10:06PM Nigerian Time

BREAKING
The last State Borno, has just been declared won by General Buhari's APC.
INEC has retired till tomorrow to officialy declare the winner of Nigeria's 2015 Presidetial elections.

23:30 (11:30PM )Nigerian Time
Corrigendum: INEC has not vacated the declaration centre. The Independent Electoral Commission is currently verifying all results submitted with a view to making the final declaration immediately it is through with verifications

UPDATES AS INEC COUNTS: RIVERS STATE FACT FINDING UPDATE.

UPDATES AS INEC COUNTS: NIGERIADECIDES2015
March 31st 2015
12:45 PM
INEC Chairman Professor Atahiru Jega stated at the declaration centre just before formally receiving the Rivers State Results that the Committee sent to Rivers State returned earlier today . He said waiting for the committe's return contributed partly to the late convening at the declaration centre today.
Prof. Jega said that the mandate given the committee was to determine whether elections did not hold in Rivers State as alleged by the APC and whether there was substantial reason to cancel the elections in Rivers State. Professor Jega reporting to the house stated that within the time frame given the committee their findings indicated that contrary to the allegation by APC, elections did indeed take place in Rivers State. On whether there was substantial grounds to cancel the elections in Rivers State, the committee returned that there was NOT substantial grounds to cancel the elections.
Immediately after reporting to the house Prof Jega asked that the Rivers State results be read. Incidentally, the results read did show that APC won the Rivers State Presidential elections.

UPDATES AS INEC COUNTS : NIGERIADECIDES2015-- FINAL DAY COLLATION

UPDATES AS NIGERIADECIDES 2015
March 31st 2015
11:33 AM
Events at the collation /declaration centre rapidly degenerated into a fiercely heated protest as the PDP representative right there at the collation centre declared that the PDP has lost confidence in the proceedings.
In an extremely heated atmosphere the PDP representatives alleged that they have written protests letters on the election results in Kano, Kaduna and INEC did not take action on those protests whereas INEC did take actions on the protest by APC on the results from Rivers State. In reference INEC did actually send a fact finding committee to Rivers State. The heated affair held up proceeding for about 30 minutes.
Exhibiting a high level of statesmanship the INEC chairman camly and professionally addressed the issues raised. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Jega said the petitions from PDP were presented to his PA at collation centre which breaches the protocol of his office. Petitions are to be submitted to his Secretary at the INEC office, and such petition would then be brought forward to him . PDP did not follow procedure.
This development really points to frayed nerves and as vote declaration takes longer it is possible a few more 'burst-ups' may occur.

UPDATES AS INEC COUNTS VOTES: NIGERIADECIDES2015

UPDATES AS INEC COUNTS VOTES:
March 30th 2015:
23:22 (11:23PM) Nigerian Time
Vote counting and declaration of results in Nigeria's 2015 elections is no 'slam-dunk' . Counting of votes is still going on in some states and INEC is forced to retire once again for lack of results to declare. INEC'S Professor Jega says sitting will continue at 10:00 AM (Nigerian Time ) on Tuesday 31st March 2015.
A total of 18 states plus the Federal Capital territory Abuja have been declared so far: APC has succeeded in flipping the script on PDP as at last count,  on both absolute numbers and number of States won.
APC and General Muhammadu Buhari are leading with 8,520,436 votes and 10 States against PDP and President Goodluck Ebele Johnathan's 6,488,210 votes in 8 States plus the Federal Capital Territory. However in relation to the 25% in 2/3 of the States, President Johnathan's PDP has got its nose out in front leading with 25% in 15 States to General Buhari's 25% in 13 States.
Nationwide many have been glued to their TV sets while the dynamic, tech-driven clan are hugging their IPADS and smart phones. Twitter seems to be the 'happening' social media of the moment.
Generally on the ground , over-optimistic speculators who were predicting landslides for their parties are beginning to realize this may be a tight race to the very end. At the moment its anybody's guess -- too close to call may be the chant that takes us to bed tonight. Some analysts are however pointing that with more States from the South South yet to go there may yet be some disquiet in the APC camp.

UPDATES AS INEC COUNTS: NIGERIDECIDES 2015

Monday 20th March 2015
20:22PM (8:22PM) Nigerian time:
INEC a few minutes ago released the following statement :
                QUOTE
1) Further to allegation made by @APC Nigeria on the conduct of the Pres/NASS elections in Rivers and its call for cancellation ,
2) INEC has set up a fact finding mission to ascertain the veracity of the claims and allegations and advise the commission
3) The comittee comprises of :
      a)Mrs Thelma Iremiren
      b) Col. M.K Hammanga
      c) Prof. Lai Olurode
                                    END QUOTE
This interesting development is continuation of Governor Rotimi Amaechi's position against the holding of elections in his state. On Saturday when he got to his polling unit the Governor had asked to sight the result sheet. Polling officers at the unit had told him the result sheets were not as yet available. The Governor had thereafter called for a cancellation of the elections in the State. Recently Governor Amaechi, formerly of the ruling PDP before moving over to APC , has been one of the most vocal critics of President Goodluck Johnathan. This development may yet add an attention grabbing perspective to post election dynamics.

UPDATE AS INEC COUNTS : NIGERIADECIDES 2015

UPDATE AS INEC COUNTS VOTES
Monday 30th March 2015
18:46 (6:46 PM)
Although Social Media has been inundated with unofficial results for over 24hours in what may be amusingly termed "Nigeria's Twitter Voter Count", INEC-- the body with constitutional responsibility to declare results, only commenced the declaration of official results today. In total results declared so far:
Incumbent, President Johnathan leads in terms of absolute numbers while Challenger, General Muhammed Buhari leads in number of States won. A total nine States has been declared so far.
INEC is currently on recess while awaiting results from more States. Declaration of results will re-commence at 20:00 i.e. 8:00PM Nigerian time.
Both parties will be looking to attain the at least 25% in two thirds of the thirty six states which is a requirement for winning the elections.

UPDATES AS NIGERIA DECIDES 2015

13:00 (1.00PM)
Governor Fashola and his wife are accredited in Lagos.
Complaints of faulty card readers increasing as manual accreditation is now being done in many centres across the country. Voters interviewed suggest that INEC may really not have been ready yet for this election.
Some voters from Gbagada said they were going to Kosofe to get accredited as card readers at their units were not working.
13:25 (1:25PM)
Voters say accreditation went on smoothly and all card readers worked perfectly atvthe Alimosho, Ikotun area.
13:30 (1.30PM)
Ondo State: Many voters are happy with the accreditation process. Voting started atvthe IbaraOke Area right on 1:30PM
Ekiti State: Many voters indicated they were accredited manually. Reporter corrected an impression being peddled that the Deputy Governor was attacked. The reporter said voters were only asking why the deputy governor was at a centre where he wasn't registered to vote .
13:40 (1:40 PM)
Rivera State: Complainats of card reader mix ups at various polling centres with wrong card readers being sent to centres. The card readers had to be returned while some centres conducted manual accreditation to avoid wasting time.
Ripples begin to show as word filters out that the major opposition party is threatening to boycottvthe polls.
15:00 (3:00PM)
BAYELSA STATE: President Johnathan just voted. Says he is hopeful of winning.
18:00 (6:00PM)
The delay caused by faulty card readers and inadequate logistics impedes completion of the voting process today. INEC has appealed to Nigerians to continue the voting process tomorrow.

UPDATES AS NIGERIA DECIDES 2015

10:39AM
Four different card readers rejected President Johnathan's prints and could not verify his permanent voter's card  (PVC). INEC officials in his polling unit in Bayelsa State,  asked him to come back at 13.00 hours. (1.00 Pm Nigerian time) . Speaking to the media at his polling unit, the President has appealed to Nigerians to remain calm.

UPDATES AS NIGERIA DECIDES 2015

UPDATES AS NIGERIA DECIDES 2015:
[These updates are be based on Radio Reports from across Nigeria]
10:03 AM:
Mixed reactions trail the ongoing accreditation and voting processes going on in Nigeria Saturday 28th March 2015. While in Lagos Areas the card readers have near flawless except for a few areas, in some areas of the North and South South and even in the President's home town Othuke in Bayelsa State, the card readers have been disasterous. The President has reportedly not been accredited yet as the card reader is malfunctioning. This accentuates the fears raised by many critics the past week on the absolute faith rested on applying the card reader technology to this particular elections. It is still early hours yet, and they may yet function perfectly.
On the security arrangements many have commended the calm and orderly manner in which Nigerians are conductingthemselves.

NIGERIA DECIDES 2015: CARD READER ASSURANCES

NIGERIA DECIDES 2015:
CARD READER ISSUES:
Professor Atahiru Jega, INEC chairman assures Nigerians less than 8 hours to the 2015 elections that the Card Readers have not been breached. Declaring on his twitter handle Prof Jega says: " The card reader does not have a master key, it only has a security code and you can only breach the card reader if you have the source code. "
He continues : " Although there have been allegations, but there is no proof indicating that the security code of the card readers have been breached"
Prof. Jega's assurances will go a long way to allay fears that the card readers have been compromised. Indeed there have been intense speculations on this within the past week and hopefully as the Nation goes to the polls later on today, Saturday 28th March 2015 the card readers will function optimally .