*As FG gets $80m grant for elections

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA— CHAIRMAN,Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega disclosed yesterday that the much awaited credible voters’ register will be ready before the 2011 general elections.

Meanwhile, donor agencies yesterday gave a grant of $80 million through what they described as Joint Donor Basket Fund,
JDBF, in the Democratic Governance for Development in Nigeria, DGD, document to the Federal Government in support
of democratic governance for development in Nigeria ahead of the 2011 general elections.

Professor Jega who spoke yesterday at the signing agreement of support for democratic governance for development in Nigeria between the National Planning Commission and donor agencies, said, “credible voters register is central to

bringing about credible free and fair election and also continuous voters’ registration exercise is very important in terms of capturing all those who by law are yet to be registered for elections, we pay a lot of attention to this.

 “We know the seriousness and significance of this and we are doing everything possible, one to ensure that there is a credible voters’ register before the election and secondly that there is a framework in place to ensure continuous

voters’ registration, this is something that the Commission gives priority to and we will do our best to ensure that the voters’ register is indeed credible and for elections.”

The project document, Democratic Governance for Development in Nigeria, DGD, was signed by the Minister/Deputy Chairman, National Planning Commission, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman and the representative of the United Nations Development
Programme, UNDP, Dauda Toure and witnessed by the INEC Chairman.

Other contributing agencies to the fund besides the UNDP are the UK department for International Development, DFID, European Union, EU, and the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA, and they are committed to consolidating
democracy over a project cycle congruent with two elections 2011 and 2015.

The programme is designed to strengthen the democratic character of Nigerian political processes, to consolidate and advance democratic governance and accountability in Nigeria in order to achieve the country’s stated development
priorities and outcomes specified in the Federal Republic of Nigeria UNDAF11, as well as to promote gender equality and women empowerment for sustainable democracy and development.

According to the Donor agencies, the DGD will be financed through the reconstituted Joint Donor Basket Fund, just as the JDBF2’s DGD which is based on the commitments and pledges from the four funding donors will be open to other interested donors with plans to increase the budget by at least 50% in 2012 to over $120 million, adding that the “the DGD project is proposed to commence in April 2010 after formal approval by the NPC and will be executed by the UNDP
Nigeria under the Direct Execution modality as part of UNDAF11 2009-2012CPAP already agreed with by the FGN”.

Speaking further on the document, the INEC boss, Professor Jega said, “The joint donor Basket fund document in support of democratic governance for development under the leadership or coordination of the UNDP, I would like to commend the
minister of National planning for his leadership and for his ensuring that this very commendable effort is today being crowned with the formal signing of the document.

“We in the Independent National Electoral Commission have had the opportunity as soon as we came or assumed office to study this document very carefully because there is an important component in it which we need to support credible election
in this country and it is from our reading of this document that we say it promises a comprehensive intervention in support of democracy in Nigeria covering all important aspects in particular focusing on the electoral cycle towards the 2011 elections and beyond.

“ I want to say that INEC appreciates the continued support of donors to democratic consolidation generally and the elections in particular and it is clear to us that the document aptly shows that INEC has made substantial input
in the initial framing of the document up to this last stage of signing.

“I also want to say that we are pleased that some of the underlining principles on which the recently reconstituted INEC it tends to anchor its work both shared by the document and these include, independence, professionalism and
transparency, effective and efficient delivery of elections, public acceptance of election results, gender mainstreaming in all the activities related to the work of INEC, openness to constructive criticisms”.