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IT and electronics firms, Zinox and Thermocool, have been
approved to supply the Direct Data Capture machines needed by the Independent
National Electoral Commission for the voters’ registration.

Attention about the status of the multibillion naira contract,
for which eight companies had earlier been screened, rose after the release of
the elections timetable last week, with the registration exercise scheduled for
the first two weeks of November, 2010.

But officials of the commission have cautiously avoided
commenting on the contract which is expected to be delivered in six weeks.
Yesterday, none could formally confirm insider information that the two
companies scaled pre-security screening and won the bids.

Preparations going well

However, the purportedly successful companies, NEXT was
informed, are deeply against the scheduled time.

At a meeting later yesterday with the Save Nigeria Group, led by
Tunde Bakare, the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, said the commission has “gone
very far” with the preparations and is “proud of the achievements” made so far.

“What we will do, God willing,” he said, “will be better than
what has been done in the past and we are proud of our achievements so far.”
The N74 billion contract for the acquisition of the machines had been split
into three key components: the supply of the hardware consisting of a laptop, a
web cam and a finger printing device; supply of the software needed to drive
the entire process and lastly, the expertise to integrate the various
components into one functional unit.

The companies earlier shortlisted include: Dimension Data, Image
Technology, Resourcery ltd, Basmak, Pacific Millennium and Joint Komputer
Company, Zinox and Google. The firms were subjected to security checks.

Zinox Technologies, owned by a Nigerian, has the capacity to
deliver the 120,000 direct data capture machines needed for the exercise within
eight weeks, its chairman, Leo-Stan Ekeh, has pledged.

Avoiding past mistakes

Mr Jega yesterday promised that the commission will avoid the
mistakes of past administrations in every of its engagements.

Part of that will be a centralized recruitment of election
monitors and officers, which the Save Nigeria Group alleged the commission’s
officials have commenced in connivance with state governors.

“The Public Affairs sections in some INEC state offices are
allegedly compiling lists of election monitors from governors’ offices,” said
Mr Bakare, observing that Mr Jega was like the former Super Eagles coach, Lars
Largerback, who was hired only three months to the last World Cup, and led the
team’s worst outing, to the Mundial.

“Lagerback was hired three months to a tournament we had four
years to prepare (for), the same way you were hired few months to elections
that we had many years to prepare,” Mr Bakare said. “He failed but got his full
pay and left from Johannesburg. You will have nowhere to go back to, so you
cannot afford to crash,” the group told Mr Jega.

The chairman promised that allegations that monitors were being
recruited would be investigated, “if that exists”.

“We are going to investigate it very thoroughly. We have a mechanism to
catch them now and we will make them face the law,” he said.