Logistics, Transport Institute suggests improvement to electoral process

CILT Lagos State chairman, Mr Bashir Ambi Mohammed

Ahead of the general elections, the Lagos State branch of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) recently organised a seminar via zoom on “Logistics and Electoral Process” to further sensitise its members.

The branch chairman, Mr Bashir Ambi Mohammed tasked them to embraced the knowledge that would be acquired after the seminar, reminding them of the critical roles logistics play not only during election periods, but at every time to national development.

In her key note address, President of CILT Nigeria, Barrister Mfon Usoro commended the branch and said that the topic was appropriate on the issue at hand not only in Nigeria but across the globe.

Mrs Usoro further said that the essence of the topic was to achieve credible elections in Nigeria and maximum participation of the electorate. She however called on the branch to capture the salient points after the seminar and forward to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as contributions of logistics experts in Nigeria.

The guest lecturer, an Associate Professor at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Dr Benedict Ayantoyinbo said that credible elections can not be possible without effective and efficient logistics.

Ayantoyinbo’s paper discussed logistics, electoral process, inbound and outbound logistics. The university don also discussed the manufacturing of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS); pre-election logistics; post-election process; logistics systems of INEC; INEC and the Central Bank of Nigeria; transporting the INEC materials; increasing INEC budget this election cycle; challenges of the electoral process; ad-hoc staff; problems of rural areas voting; and the need to reduce the concentration of security agencies and other facilities to the rural areas.

He suggested the adoption of electronic voting by Nigeria.