Nigeria Content Online

Last Thursday,
Attahiru Jega finally got his wish. The INEC boss was all smiles after
both chambers of the National Assembly approved the INEC budget at
N87.7bn.

A NEXT investigation can reveal, however, that this figure has been vastly inflated.

Aside from the
controversial N13.7bn, which was tacked on at the last minute as a
“profit margin,” other figures in the budget have also come under close
scrutiny. The largest purchase items on the budget are the Direct Data
Capture machines, which the new INEC chief has repeatedly stated will
cost exactly $2000.

The data machines
are intended to be used for registering voters and conducting the
elections. The machines are not single units but a composite which
include: a fingerprint scanner, a high resolution camera, a backup
power pack, an integrated printer and a laptop.

Cheaper alternatives

NEXT contacted
various international suppliers of the aforementioned components and
the highest quotation for the combined total was no more than $1134. A
Digita Persona fingerprint scanner costs $58.76 a unit. A 20.0 USB
Webcam costs no more than $11.98 a piece. A 14” Dual Core Laptop with a
320GB hardrive can be obtained for $525.77. A 16-24V Power Battery
backup which offers uninterruptible power supply can be bought for
$170.62. Finally, a top of the range Canon BJC-85 Portable Colour
Bubble Jet printer is available for $367.37.

The total cost for
all of these items is $1134.50, almost $900 cheaper than the stated
$2000. In naira terms this equates to a differential of N16.2bn.

Kayodu Idowu, Mr Jega’s media aide, said that the specifications of the required components were very sophisticated.

“The specifications
for the machines are designed to ensure durability,” he said. “We have
to ensure that these machines have value and as such they are long term
investments.” He added that he was not at liberty to disclose the exact
specifications but that all interested parties could find out directly
from the electoral commission.

Supplier palaver

However, according
to a source close to the procurement process, the high cost of the data
capture machines indicates that INEC did not explore different options
when preparing their budget. The source added that a Bangladeshi firm,
which was initially detailed to handle the bulk of the supply, has been
frozen out by other interested parties.

“The contract for these machines alone is being handled by over 10 different suppliers,” the source said.

“They (INEC) have
divided the supply into three streams: data integration, hardware and
software supply. Due process was not followed, talk less of the public
procurement act. The most capable, one company that managed the data of
almost 100 million voters in Bangladesh, was not even considered.

“Now, some of the
approved suppliers are going back to them because they don’t know how
to execute the contract.” Mr Idowu denied that the identity of the
suppliers had been finalised by INEC.

“We are still
deliberating on various applications and no name has been finalised,”
he said. “Time is a key factor, yes, but we have to engage with
reputable suppliers.”

Keeping it local

One of the local
companies bidding to supply electronic voting material agrees that INEC
could save much more money by looking inwards. Nigerian communications
satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Ltd claims that the commission could save almost
N20 billion if it used its locally designed smart cards to capture
biometric data.

Ahmed Rufai, the
company’s managing director, said, “With our proposal, each voter’s
card would have an in-built smart card which would hold all the
information required for registration and voting.

“The machines they
want to import are nothing more than metal boxes. Instead of sending
out all that money to develop other economies, why not explore local
solutions that can offer the same or better value?” Mr Rufai added that
aside from initial meetings, there has been no further contact from the
commission.

“We are working
with a consortium of local hardware manufacturers. We made our proposal
over two weeks ago and the chairman vowed to come and visit our
premises. So far, that has not happened.”

Repaying excess

An INEC official
said that the issue of excessive costs was irrelevant at this stage
because the commission would refund any surplus money.

“The reason you may say these costs are high is because of time,” the source said.

“Therefore, in the
interest of time, we needed to move quickly. Our calculations had to go
for the upper limit rather than going back with our begging bowl in
case we ran out of money.

“Besides, the chairman has already given assurance that all extra
monies appropriated to the commission would be refunded to the
treasury. If at the end of the day, the chairman does not deliver, then
you can start questioning the amount spent. This is a transparent
process and will be tracked all the way.”