SHAWWAL 30 1430 A.H.
MONDAY OCTOBER . 19 2009.
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Use local voting machines in 2011, association urges FG
Mr. Okon Essien, president, Association of Nigerian Inventors, has advised the federal government to consider the use of locally-invented voting machines for the 2011 general elections.
Essien gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said the use of locally made voting and monitoring instruments would ensure credibility, free and fair elections.
Essien said the machine did not need electricity to function but required only a 12-volt battery and could be operated anywhere by anybody.
He said that the era of spending millions of dollars printing ballot papers abroad and importing ballot boxes was over as the system would not require ballot papers.
``The instant electro-mechanically counting of votes and totalling make the result of such elections credible and acceptable by all the parties,'' Essien said.
He explained that if the machines were adopted by Nigeria it would change the electoral system for good.
Essien called on Nigerians to support the ``Made in Nigeria’’ products to enable the inventors to compete in the global market.
He also appealed to the federal government to support inventors to develop their products.
