The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the FCT has said that over 260,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have yet to be collected  with 16,931 of the cards in Gwagwalada Area Council.

Alhaji Yahaya Bello, The Resident Electoral Commissioner in-charge of FCT, made the fact known in Abuja on Thursday during a sensitisation meeting in Gwagwalada.

He said that the uncollected number of PVCs was  worrisome and added that the commission would not extend the closing date of Aug 17 for voter registration.

Bello charged the Chairman of the council, Mr Adamu Mustapha-Danze, and all political party executives in the area to refocus on sensitisation rather than focusing only on campaigning.

He said the electorate ought to know and understand the importance and use of the cards before the 2019 general elections.

“If you don’t sensitise the people properly on the need to collect their cards, who will vote for you and how will you win?

“Politicians are the beneficiaries of the PVCs and not INEC; you should be more worried and concerned over the increasing number of uncollected PVCs than us.

“It is your duty as stakeholders to urge the electorate on the collection of the cards, ” he said.

The commissioner said while the distribution of cards would continue until one week to the general elections, voter registration would be suspended from Aug. 17 until after the 2019 general elections.

He explained that the suspension of the exercise was to enable the commission to produce more cards for the  elections.

Bello assured those who registered before the suspension that they would get their cards before the general elections.

He added that anyone who reached the eligible age for voting after Aug. 17 would not be registered until after the elections in 2019.

“Anyone who will turn 18 years after Aug.17 will not be registered to vote,” he said.

Bello commended the residents of the council for their positive response to the on-going voter registration and urged them to show the same spirit and come out en-masse to vote during the general elections.

“Once you are registered and issued a PVC, we assure you that your votes on election day will be counted and your votes will count.

“If 100 persons are registered and only two persons vote, only two votes will be counted.

“We urge all religious leaders, traditional heads and political representatives to preach peace and violence-free elections to the people.

“We cannot over-emphasise the importance of a peaceful and violence- free election.

“When you conduct yourselves in a peaceful manner as stakeholders, the people will emulate your good conduct and this attitude will simplify the work of the security agents too, ” he said.

Bello reiterated that the commission would include weekends and public holidays from Aug. 1 to fast track the registration process.

Earlier, Mustapha-Danze the Chairman of the council, expressed appreciation to the commission for the visit to the council.

Mustapha-Danze said that the effort was timely and  expressed optimism that it would increase the level of preparedness of the people toward the upcoming general elections.

He also appealed to religious heads to preach the good message of peace to their followers at their various places of worship.

“I appeal to our clerics in churches, our chief imams in mosques to sensitise their faithful.

“Registration is not enough. Collection of PVCs and voting is not enough also if there is no peace.

“We need peace in order for our votes to be counted and to count.

“Come 2019 we want to see residents in the council come out en-masse to participate in the process in a peaceful manner, ” he said.

He lauded the effort made by INEC to include weekends and public holidays for registration in order  to fast track the process before the closing date.

Mustapha-Danze also gave an assurance that the council would ensure that the number of uncollected PVCs in the area was  reduced.

Heads of departments in the council and FCT INEC, political party executives, religious and traditional leaders, security agents, market women and youths attended the event.  (NAN)

Foreign exchange black market operators are making brisk business from Nigerian pilgrims in Madinah, since the arrival of the first batch from Kogi for this year’s Hajj in the Holy land.

The operators, mainly Nigerians resident in Madinah, transact their businesses in secret as they approach pilgrims in their hotels in groups or individually to introduce the business deal.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that their mode of operation involves offering “affordable rates” to attract the pilgrims into exchanging their Basic Traveling Allowance (BTA) for the local currency, Saudi Riyals, at “cheaper rates”.

The official rates of the dollar to a Riyal is 3.75 to a dollar but the operators charges range from 3.78 upward.

One of the dealers, Muhammadu Kano, told NAN that the business had started booming with the arrival of some Nigerian pilgrims, adding that he had made some improvements in sales compared to previous days.

“This business is seasonal because the Hajj provides us the opportunity to render more service and make money from pilgrims too,” he said.

He said demand for Forex had increased because of pressure on the market.

“We make money from exchange of dollars, Naira, CFA Francs and Cameroon money.”

Ahmed Rufai, another dealer, said many pilgrims experienced difficulties in accessing Forex due to congestion at the Bureau De Change offices, adding the the black market operation provided an alternative platform to facilitate transactions.

Rufai, who said the operators had formed an association called Qurban Lulu, added that it had registered up to 300 members in Madinah and Makkah.

“We are offering essential Forex services to our compatriots because we know they will  go through hardships in sourcing the local currency for their survival during the Hajj.”

Rufai exchanges a dollar at 3.78 Riyals instead of 3.75 official rate while N1000 goes for eight Riyals.

Asked if some members were not exploiting the situation to involve in malpractice, Rufai said they were conscious of the need to render transparent service “with the fear of Allah”.

He appealed to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to recognise their business as Nigerians too, to enable them to contribute to national service.

A pilgrim who bought the riyal from the market (name withheld) said he trusted the operators because “we are in the holy land and they will not cheat us”.

A NAN correspondent who sought inquiries on what NAHCON was doing to protect pilgrims from the market forces, gathered that its Public Enlightenment Department had already sensitised them to the practice.

NAN was further told that NAHCON had always educated the pilgrims on the dangers of patronising illegal money transactions, adding that such pilgrims could fall prey to illegal activities of fraudsters

Alhaji Ahmed Maigari, the Madinah Coordinator of NAHCON, while reacting, said the business operation was illegal and unacceptable.

“We have warned all our pilgrims not to patronise black markets; we told them to always be led and guided by their officials to registered money changers for such transactions.

“Those who want to go for visits to historical sites  must be led by officials and females who want to go for tooth cap grillz must equally be accompanied by male officials,” Maigari said.

NAN reports that state pilgrim welfare agencies always pay their pilgrims their BTA, as a mandate, to prevent them from becoming stranded and also ensure their welfare in the Holy land. (NAN)