BY PRINCE OSUAGWU
Indications emerged yesterday that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had deployed the 1.8 version of the Linux software it deployed on the DDC machines to ease up the bottlenecks experienced since the start of the registration process.

Since the start of the exercise last Saturday, many intended voters in different registration centres across the nation were frustrated due to the delay in thumb print scanning.

INEC calibrated its software to achieve high quality finger print and that has resulted in eventual slow down of scanning and entire registration process in many centres .

However, reliable INEC sources said the commission had upgraded the software to 1.8 version which is higher and faster, adding that the problems experienced since last Saturday would ease off immediately.

Meanwhile an ICT expert and former President of the Nigerian Computer Society, NCS, Mr. Ojinta oji Ala Ala said that there is nothing wrong with the actual DDC hardware, either the laptops produced by Zinox, Haier or the printers from HP, saying the machines are of the best international quality and were duly tested before they were supplied. He said that the current delays in finger printing were caused by a software problem which INEC has now resolved. INEC staffs are currently installing the solution in all DDC machines nationwide.

INEC had adopted a Linux software technology which experts say is slower than Oracle and many others, resulting in the slow process, particularly in fingerprint scanning and impressions. Major suppliers of the DDC machines, Zinox Technologies said it had no business with the software that powers the scanning of finger prints, but has however deployed 2 Engineers to each of the 36 States and Abuja in anticipation of the teething problems with the new DDC technology.

The company said the cost of these 74 support staff was not part of the contract but a patriotic gesture to ensure that the DDC technology does not overwhelm the INEC operatives.

Also, the company has caused a full page color advertisements to be published in all national dailies to give vital tips, with graphic details on the DDC machines.