NIGCOMSAT Faults INEC’s N40b Investment On Technology

Nigeria Communication Satellite Company (NIGCOMSAT) has faulted the investment plan of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), for spending over N40 billion on technology solutions in 2007 elections.
 
NIGCOMSAT’s Managing Director, Ahmed Rufai, frowned at such investment during a recent inspection visit to NIGCOMSAT facilities in Abuja by the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Muhammed Abubakar.
 


 
According to Rufai, the over N40 billion investment on technology solutions that would have checked electoral fraud, was fraught with several cases of corruption against INEC officials; poor implementation of the technology involved and non-implementation of the specified contract terms of the technology scheme to enhance the use of biometric indices in the 2007 election.
 
Rufai told the Minister that NIGCOMSAT had already developed an e-Voting solution that is capable of controlling electoral rigging in the forth coming elections.
 
The solution, according to him, was home grown and is 100 per cent designed, developed and fabricated by Nigerian Engineers at NIGCOMSAT facility in Lugbe, Abuja.
 
He explained that the technology solution had been tested and demonstrated to be very workable and that if given the financial support needed to purchase materials, about 40,000 sets of the solution could be produced within four months.
 
Describing the features of the solution, Rufai said: “It comes with embedded mechanism that allows the voter’s Identity Card (ID) to have the passport photograph and finger print of the voter for eligibility purpose. A voter’s finger print would be screened against his card for authenticity and detect multiple registration.

“Once the finger matches with the one on the card, the voter is then eligible to vote. After a choice of candidate has been made, a printout of the political party, person, time and place he voted will be given to him with a copy placed in the ballot box. This will prevent multiple registrations and voting. The system also displays full names and pictures of candidates for various offices being contested for as registered by INEC along with names and logos of political parties they belong to.”
 
According to Rufai, “the solution is cost effective. NIGCOMSAT already has the production line equipments in-place except for the copy and paste equipment which is meant for mass production.
 
The e-Voting system is based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFI) technology, which uses a contact-less card system with enhanced security features.