Headlines

Yiaga Africa Berates ‘Draconian’ Bill Mandating Compulsory Voting, Jail Term for Defaulters

Published

4 days ago

May 17, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

Yiaga Africa Berates ‘Draconian’ Bill Mandating Compulsory Voting, Jail Term for Defaulters

By Matthew Eloyi

A leading civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has strongly opposed a bill currently before the National Assembly that seeks to make voting compulsory in Nigeria and proposes a six-month jail term for eligible voters who fail to vote.

The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Mr. Samson Itodo, in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, described the bill as “draconian” and a gross violation of fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

While acknowledging that the bill was intended as a legislative response to Nigeria’s persistently low voter turnout, Itodo criticised the coercive approach adopted by the bill’s sponsors.

“Indeed, the right to abstain from voting is itself a legitimate form of political expression protected under domestic and international human rights law,” he stated.

Itodo noted that Nigeria’s voter turnout has historically been inconsistent due to a wide range of political and systemic factors. He provided historical data to contextualise the trend, recalling that voter participation was 34.6 percent in 1979, rising modestly to 38.9 percent in 1983, and standing at 35 percent in 1993.

“A notable surge occurred in 1999 with a turnout of 52.3 per cent, followed by a peak in 2003 when 69.1 per cent of registered voters participated,” he said.

However, the upward trend reversed in subsequent polls, recording 57.5 percent in 2007, 53.7 percent in 2011, 43.7 percent in 2015, 34.7 percent in 2019, and reaching an all-time low of 27.1 percent in 2023.

“The sharp decline has positioned Nigeria as the largest democracy in Africa with the lowest voter turnout,” he added.

According to Itodo, the proposed bill fails to address the real causes of voter apathy, including distrust in the electoral process, manipulation of election outcomes, and widespread dissatisfaction with governance.

“Democracy thrives on freedom which includes the choice to participate or abstain from voting. Compulsory voting undermines this democratic freedom and punitive sanctions for not voting erode the foundational principles of voluntary democratic engagement,” he asserted.

Rather than force citizens to vote under threat of imprisonment, Itodo called on lawmakers to pursue electoral reforms that would rebuild public trust, enhance the credibility of elections, and eliminate systemic obstacles to participation.

“These include reforms that guarantee mandatory electronic transmission of results, review of the mode of appointments into INEC, early voting, diaspora voting and improved transparency in the management of elections,” he said.

He emphasised that voter apathy should be tackled through trust, electoral justice, and government accountability — not punishment.

Itodo therefore urged the National Assembly to reject the proposed compulsory voting bill and instead channel its legislative energy into passing amendments that expand voting access, ensure electoral transparency, and protect the political rights of all Nigerians.

Education

NUC grants ESUT full accreditation for Law, 7 other programmes

Published

5 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

The National Universities Commission, (NUC), has given full accreditation to the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), for her Law programme.

According to the Public Relations Officer of ESUT, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, this is contained in a letter addressed to the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aloysius Okolie, on Wednesday in Enugu by the NUC.

Ani said that in the letter, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abdullahi Ribadu said the report was contained in the result of the October/November 2024 accreditation of academic programmes in Nigerian universities.

Ani disclosed that other programmes in the institution accredited by the NUC include Master of Science in Business Management; Education Computer Science; Education Physics and Agricultural Engineering.

Other accredited programmes he said were Quantity Surveying; Urban and Regional Planning; and Applied Microbiology.

He said that the letter quoted Section 10 (1) of the Education National Minimum Standard and Establishment of Institutions, Act CAP E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 as empowering the NUC to lay down minimum academic standards for all academic programmes taught in Nigerian universities.

He said the session also empowers the NUC to accredit such programmes.

Crime

Court remands 2 over alleged attempted murder

Published

5 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

Court discharges man accused of burning father’s house in Abuja

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, remanded two persons, Olaitan Fasasi and Kehinde Tobiloba in a correctional facility over alleged attempted murder.

Fasasi, 40, and Tobiloba, 26, whose addresses were not provided, are being charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and membership of a secret society.

The Magistrate, Mr L.A Owolabi, did not take the plea of the defendants for want of jurisdiction.

Owolabi directed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

He thereafter adjourned the case until May 31 for mention.

The Prosecutor, Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 5.02p.m on Feb. 15, at Mushin, Lagos.

She said that Fasasi, Tobiloba and others now at large, attempted to commit murder by shooting at a resident, Alfred Ademola.

“They armed themselves with a locally made gun. They belong to Eiye Confraternity, a group proscribed by law,”, she said.

Ikhayere said that the offences contravened Sections 230(1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2012.

He said that the actions of the defendants also contravened Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the unlawful societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State Law.

Headlines

Plateau Governor Sets Up Committee to Probe Two Decades of Attacks

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2025

Matthew Eloyi

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has inaugurated a 10-member fact-finding committee tasked with uncovering the root causes of the persistent attacks plaguing communities across the state.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday in Jos, Governor Mutfwang charged the committee with conducting a comprehensive review of violent incidents from 2001 to date. “We thought that we should set up this high-powered fact-finding committee to look at the incessant attacks on our communities,” the governor stated.

According to Mutfwang, the committee is expected to perform an in-depth assessment of the recurring security breaches, determine the number of affected communities, and assess the extent of damage done over the years. “We want to understand the root causes and propose actionable recommendations for lasting peace, justice, and stability in the affected communities,” he said.

The committee’s mandate also includes establishing the number of casualties, identifying possible perpetrators and their motives, and uncovering potential routes used by bandits to access Plateau State. “Identify possible routes of bandits into the state and recommend measures to limit their access,” the governor added.

Chairman of the committee, retired Maj.-Gen. Rojas Nicholas, thanked the governor for the confidence reposed in the members. He pledged that the committee would approach its assignment with fairness and commitment. “We will do our best to produce a report that would befit its assignment,” Nicholas assured.

The committee is expected to submit its findings and recommendations in due course, with hopes that the report will provide a pathway to durable peace and security in the state.