Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to settle outstanding bills of some services rendered to the electoral commission, so it could serve the commission better during the pending bye-elections.
Abubakar made the call on Monday in Abuja when he hosted a delegation of INEC management, led by the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who visited the Air Force Headquarters.
“I would like to seize this opportunity to remind the Chairman that there are some outstanding bills, which are yet to be cleared by INEC. The settlement of those bills will enable us to serve you better,” the Air Force Chief said.
He noted that INEC was the first governmental organisation to pay such a visit this year.
He said Nigeria stood out as a shining example for other nations of the world and was renowned as the largest economy and democracy in Africa due to the success of the nation’s democracy.
These, he said, were being underpinned by strong institutions like INEC, which worked tirelessly to allow all citizens enjoy the right to decide who should govern them in free and fair elections.
“The invaluable contributions of the INEC, distinguishes democracy as a form of governance unparalleled in its commitment to the people. Furthermore, it lends credence to the slogan that democracy is the best form of government known to man.
“I would like to commend Mr Chairman (Yakubu) for the numerous initiatives, which have occurred under your watch. Some of which included continuous voter registration, introduction of new technologies, voter education and sensitisation and post-election reviews.
“Another laudable milestone achieved was the Electoral Act of 2022, which introduced reforms aimed at more timely organisation of pre-electoral processes and increasing transparency in results collation and reporting,” Abubakar said.
Earlier, the INEC Chairman congratulated Abubakar on his appointment as the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff and all other recently promoted officers serving at both headquarters and elsewhere.
He commended the NAF for its cooperation in the area of election security and logistic support for the timely delivery of materials during general elections, off-cycle elections, by-elections, supplementary elections and re-run elections.
“I want to place on record the neutrality and professionalism of NAF in particular and armed forces in general in discharging your responsibilities. There has been no unhappy incidents or compromise on the part of your officers and airmen.”
Chuks Okocha
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