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Tag: Prof. Attahiru Jega

Ngige has turned ASUU strike to personal quarrel – Jega
Attahiru Jega, former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has accused Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, of taking the industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) personal and turning it into a private dispute.
Jega in an interview on Arise TV, alleged that Ngige is having a personal quarrel with the minister of education and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He also faulted the Minister for registering two breakout factions of ASUU and also trying to proscribe ASUU.
Jega said;
“Unfortunately, right now, the minister of labour is not helping matters. He has turned this into a personal quarrel between him and the minister of education on one hand and between himself and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on the other.
“While many other people are trying to find a way of addressing this situation so that students can go back to school and ASUU can go back to work, he is busy creating challenges.
“He now took the matter to the industrial court, now today, he now registered two unions and he is trying to proscribe ASUU.
“If this is allowed by this government, I think this is a recipe for disaster and it may really create more problems than it can solve on this matter of strike in the universities.”
October 5, 2022
Nigeria In Process Of Total Collapse ― Jega
A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said that Nigeria is in the process of total collapse.
The former INEC boss stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2022 Workers’ Political Conference organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress.
He described the 2023 general elections as critical for Nigeria’s unity.
Jega said, “The sorry state of the socio-economic conditions under which the Nigerian working people, indeed the overwhelming majority of all citizens live and work, the reckless misrule and misgovernance by a tiny, rabid and reckless band of the elite, and the manner by which these myopic ‘elected’ so-called ‘leaders’ and their collaborators, have devastated the Nigerian economy, heightened insecurity, and virtually destroyed the basis for national cohesion and integration, Nigeria, as a potentially great nation, is crying for a rescue mission before it is too late.
“Such a rescue mission cannot be serious, positive and successful, without the active engagement and involvement of the Nigerian workers through their genuine representatives in working-class organizations and movements, in alliance with other progressive and patriotic Nigerians.
“While Nigeria may not have totally collapsed, it is in the process of collapsing, as reckless elite in control of the governance process are blindly running the country aground. And the 2023 general elections may be the ‘make or break’ epochal moment.
“Given this, all hands of progressive forces must be on deck to prevent our country from imminent collapse, and to turn it around on to a trajectory of good democratic governance for beneficial democratic, socio-economic development, and human security for Nigerian citizens.
“A broad alliance of progressive forces for national rescue and emancipation is absolutely required to get Nigeria out of the current unwholesome predicament in which it finds itself.
“The deliberations at this conference, guided by the lead paper presentation and panel discussion, should help us chart a course for a reinforced commitment to national emancipation and more active engagement participation of Nigerian workers in our current and future political processes.”
March 2, 2022
‘You Lack Intellectual Capacity’ – Jega Slams Nigerian Politicians
A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said Nigerian leaders lack the intellectual capacity to be classified as leaders.
Speaking at the Maitama Sule Leadership Lecture Series, organised by the Students Wing of Coalition of Northern Groups (SW-CNG), in Katsina, on Monday, the former INEC boss attributed the security and economic challenges affecting the country to bad leadership.
He said Nigeria has greedy leaders who have narrow vision in terms of how to usher in developmental projects.
Jega, who was the chairman of the event, said poverty, youth unemployment, insecurity, maternal mortality, out-of-school children, early marriage, as well as challenges of reproductive health emanated from the northern region of the country.
“The major indices of these crises manifested themselves from the Northern part of this country, whether it is poverty, youth unemployment, security challenges, maternal mortality, out-of-school children, lack of girl-child education and early marriage as well as the challenge of reproduction of our females.
“Anything you can think of, the terrible statistics come from the Northern part of this country. And why is it so? That is the key question. Today, we remember the Maitama Sule, the Amadu Bellos, Isa Katais and many others.
“These were people who led and protected the North and ensured that the North developed in accordance with its ability and their own abilities as leaders. While we cherish the memories of what had happened in the past, what kind of leadership have we got from the Northern part of this country?
“We have so-called leaders who are selfish, who are not selfless, greedy, who have a narrow vision in terms of how this country can develop not to talk about the region where they come from. They really lack intellectual capacity to be classified as leaders,” he said.

November 15, 2021
Lawmakers are rejecting electronic voting for self-interest – Jega
Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega has stated that lawmakers kicking against electronic voting are doing so over their selfish interest.
Jega in his speech at a lecture titled, ‘Politics, governance and leadership recruitment in 21st century democracy,’ organised by Kwara Visioners Network for Rural Development at the University of Ilorin on Saturday October 9, stated that from his own experience, one of the major ways in which the integrity of the electoral process is undermined is in the manual transmission of results from the polling units to ward, local and constituency levels.
He maintained that refusal of the National Assembly to allow INEC to transmit election results electronically was tantamount to rejecting electronic voting.
The former INEC Chairman said;
“The National Assembly, after 2019 elections, promised to review the electoral legal framework which will improve the integrity of the electoral commission.
“The most important issue that can add value to the integrity of elections they are jettisoning that because of self- interest. We have upscaled the integrity of the Nigerian electoral commission with incremental use of technology.
“INEC, itself, said it can rarely use it in the 2023 elections. In fact, INEC has used it in some elections in parts of the country. It is a pilot scheme which all the stakeholders have been observing and said is good.
“The next thing is to remove the major hindrance in the use of technology because there is a constitutional provision which says that electronic voting is prohibited. Many Nigerians who are in support of electronic voting are blaming INEC for saying it cannot use electronic voting. They have forgotten that there is a legal provision that says electronic voting is prohibited.
“Now people are hoping that the National Assembly will remove that encumbrance, not necessarily for INEC to plunge into electronic voting in 2023 but for it to identify the best electronic voting system for the country. People are also saying that electronic transmission of results is easier to deploy. It is most cost-effective compared with the use of electronic voting.
“So why not begin with the electronic transmission of results? On the one hand, the lawmakers said that INEC is permitted to do electronic voting provided it does not do electronic transmission of results. In fact, what they are saying is that they are not allowing INEC to do electronic voting because they do not want electronic transmission of results.
“Unfortunately, the National Assembly is opposed to the use of electronic transmission of results. From my personal experience in INEC, one of the major ways in which the integrity of the electoral process is undermined is in the manual transmission of results from the polling units to ward, local and constituency levels.”
October 10, 2021
Ex-INEC Chairman, Jega kicks against Onochie as INEC commissioner
A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw the nomination of his aide, Lauretta Onochie, as a National Commissioner of INEC.
He said this would prevent erosion of confidence from the electoral body and process.
Jega also warned the National Assembly against confirming her appointment.
This, according to him, will help to avoid controversy.
Jega told Buhari to replace her with another female from her state, noting there are many other eligible women for the job.
He spoke on Sunday Politics, a current affairs programme on Channels Television, on Sunday night, monitored by The Nation.
Jega said: “This kind of controversy is really avoidable. Any person who generated such a controversy; the appointing authorities should be careful because you don’t want to appoint anybody that can raise suspicions or doubts or can lead to a loss of trust of the electoral management body.”
July 12, 2021
Buhari Offers Fresh Appointment To Jega
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the Chairman of the University of Jos Governing Council.
The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, who disclosed this while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said Buhari also approved the appointment and reassignment of Chancellors to 42 federal universities.
Two former Ministers, Prof Anthony Anwuka and Udoma Udo Udoma, were also appointed chairmen of governing councils.
While Anwuka is to chair the council of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State, Udoma will chair the council of Bayero University, Kano.
Both Udoma and Anwuka served as ministers in the first term of Buhari.
Other Chairmen of Councils are Prof Ahmed Mohammed Modibbo, University Of Abuja, Malam Adamu Fika, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Dr. Sonny Kuku, University Of Benin; Chief Ikechi Emenike, University Of Nigeria, Nsukka and Ballama Manu, University Of Maiduguri.
Adamu also noted that the President approved the re-constitution of Governing Councils of 23 Federal universities and Inter-University Centres (IUCs) following the expiration of their tenures since 8th May, 2021 to avoid any vacuum in the governance of the institutions.
Adamu said: “As Royal Fathers, these Chancellors are expected to be the moral compass of the various universities to which they are assigned. They have been taken from their kingdoms and primary constituencies to other kingdoms and these appointments are expected to play a role in cementing relationships between communities in the country.”
The minister said the Chancellors shall be presented to the University Community at an investiture ceremony to be organised during the next convocation ceremony.
He said the investiture will precede the conferment of degrees at the convocation.
“The Chancellor shall in relation to the university take precedence before all other members of the university, and when he is present shall preside at all the meetings of convocation held for conferring degrees,” he said.
The appointed Chancellors include HRM Prof James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, the Tor Tiv for University of Benin, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi III. CON, JP. Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, HM Obi Ofala Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, Obi of Onitsha, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and HRM Oba Aremu Gbadebo. Alake of Egbaland for Alex Ekwueme University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State.
Others are HM, Oba Ewuare 11, Oba of Benin, Bayero University, Kano, HRM King W S Joshua Igbugburu X, Con, Ibenanawei of Bomo Kingdom, Federal University, Dutse, Jigawa State, HRM Professor Joseph Chike Edozien. CFR, Asagba of Asaba, Federal University Gashua, Yobe, HRH Alhaji (Dr.) Mohammadu Abali Ibn Mohammed Idris, CON. The Emir of Fika, Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State
King Dandeson Douglas Jaja jeki. Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina, HRH Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar III. Emir of Gombe, Michael Okpara University of Agricultural Umudike and HRH, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad 1, Emir of Lafia, Federal University, Otuoke, Bayelsa among others.
July 8, 2021