Thursday brief: Who are the 93 million Nigerians eligible to vote next month?
+ Pregnant woman delivers after hearing Wike’s name - Deputy Speaker
Good morning.
INEC has released the voter register for next month’s elections, fuel marketers expect scarcity to persist for up to six months and there is a curious tale of how Nyesom Wike’s name now helps pregnant women deliver babies in Rivers state.
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INEC releases voter register for 2023 elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday unveiled the final list of voters eligible to cast a ballot in this year’s general elections.
At a meeting with leaders of political parties at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said the voter register was made up of 93.4 million Nigerians.
The north-west had the lion's share with 22,255,562, followed by the south-west, which recorded 17,958,966.
States with the highest number of voters are: Lagos (7,060,195), Kano (5,921,370) and Kaduna (4,335,208)
Young people make up more than a third of the register with a population of 37,060,399. And men (52.5%) outnumber women (47.5%).
Fake voters: After errors were found in the voter register by the public late last year, INEC said it deleted 53,264 names.
No postponement: The INEC chairman assured Nigerians that the agency had no intention of delaying the elections, scheduled to begin on February 25 with the presidential polls.
“The 2023 general elections will hold as scheduled,” he said. “Any report to the contrary is not the official position of the commission.”
Possible disenfranchisement: Some religious leaders are asking INEC to extend the deadline for the collection of permanent voter’s cards. The current deadline is January 15.
What else is happening?
Fuel scarcity: Some oil marketers said they expect fuel queues to persist in parts of the country for the next six months. Many Nigerians now buy petrol above the official price of N169, although the government insists it has not changed the price.
Insecurity: A new study from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime has warned that cattle rustling, which has fed instability in northern Nigeria, could spread to the south, “feeding into old tensions and fuelling new ones.”
Edo train attack: The state government said 20 people, not 32 as it previously claimed, were abducted during Saturday’s incident. The government said seven of the 20 abducted persons have been rescued. “The operation is ongoing and we are confident that very soon, the ordeal of the innocent citizens will soon be over,” information commissioner, Chris Nehikhare, said.
New naira notes: The central bank said it has not extended the January 31 deadline for the use of old naira notes. “As I speak with you, the deadline remains sacrosanct and what we are asking the public and the banks to do is to surrender the old notes and take new ones,” a central bank executive said in Balogun market, Lagos.
Second Niger Bridge: After a fanfare opening during the Christmas celebrations, the federal government has ordered the bridge’s closure for construction work to continue.
Hard Times: The World Bank believes Nigeria’s economy will experience lower growth in 2023 compared to 2022. According to the projection, Nigeria’s economy will further decelerate to 2.9 per cent in 2023 and is not expected to record any growth in 2024. The bank cited a weakened oil sector as its primary reason.
Justice: Nine #EndSARS protesters were released after two years in prison in Oyo state. Amnesty International is calling for the release of other protesters still in detention. “In October last year, our investigation shows that over 40 #EndSARS protesters are still languishing in prisons across Nigeria,” an Amnesty statement said.
Bola Tinubu: The APC presidential candidate campaigned in Enugu. He promised to facilitate an industrial hub in the east if elected.
Strange world
Deputy speaker of the Rivers state House of Assemby, Ehie Ogerenye Edison, claimed a woman who had difficulty giving birth and prepared for a cesarean section was immediately delivered of a baby at the mention of Governor Nyesom Wike’s name.
He made the claim in front of Wike when the Governor visited Ahoada.
“Your excellency, three times the woman mentioned your name and she delivered a bouncing baby boy,” Edison said. “Praise ye the Lord! Your excellency, that was your name. They came this morning and said they want to name the boy in your name. I said no, don’t do that until I hear a confirmation from your excellency.”
And that’s it for today, let’s do this again tomorrow. Thank you for reading. Don’t forget to share. 😅