BY VICTORIA OJEME
ABUJA—The FCT Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has taken delivery of 506 Direct Data Capture, DDC, machines, out of the 604 required for the forthcoming voters’ registration.

The FCT Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sir. Eugene Amaju, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.

He said the 506 already in FCT INEC possession had been configured and would be distributed to the six area councils before the commencement of the exercise.

Sir Amaju expressed confidence that the vendors, Zinox and Hairer, would deliver the remaining 98 units before the commencement of the exercise which begins tomorrow.

The INEC Commissioner also stated that 2,000 adhoc staff had been recruited, trained and retrained for the exercise, noting that of the number, 1,186 were selected and about 30 adhoc staff reserved as back-up.

Assuring that the commission was fully prepared for the exercise, Sir, Amaju added, “INEC in the FCT has more than required qualified personnel who are computer literate.

On the issue of security, the commissioner said a Task Force named Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, has been constituted and chaired by the commissioner of police FCT and assured that adequate security mechanism to ensure a hitch free exercise.

“This body has put in place adequate security mechanism to safeguard and protect men and materials during the exercise and beyond”.
He said additional three new Toyota Hilux vehicles have been acquired to facilitate speedy movement of men and materials adding that, most of the non-sensitive materials have been received and distributed.

The commissioner appealed to residents of the FCT to come out en-mass to register during the exercise that would last from 15th to 29th January, 2011.