Kano Launches Voter Registration Drive With 36 Member Taskforce – Independent Newspaper Nigeria

KANO – The Kano State Government on Wednesday set up a 36 member Mobilization Taskforce on Voter Registration.

The decision was sequel to the directives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the commencement of voter registration nationwide.

The Taskforce will be formally inaugurated by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in due course is to be chaired by Comrade Ibrahim Abdullahi Waiya, Honourable Commissioner, for Information and Internal Affairs.

A signed statement by Musa Tanko Muhammad, the Press Secretary, Office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) that was made available to Reporters in Kano, said “The initiative is a strategic intervention designed to mobilize and encourage full participation of Kano citizens in the ongoing voter registration exercise, with a view to ensuring maximum success.”

Musa Tanko Muhammad listed other members of the Taskforce include: the Commissioner, Women Affairs, children and Disabled, the Commissioner, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Special Adviser, Political Mobilization, Special Adviser, Inter-Party Affairs, Special Adviser, Population, and the Special Adviser, Political Affair.

Other members of the high powered committee are, the Special Adviser, Student Matters, Special Adviser, Grassroot Mobilization, Special Adviser, Digital Economy, Special Adviser, Information, Special Adviser, Entertainment and Culture, Director General, KASITDA, Statistician General/Director General, State Bureau of Statistics.

The 36 member Taskforce also includes, Director General, Research and Documentation Directorate, Managing Director, Kano State Radio Corporation, Managing Director, Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV) Representative, State NNPP, Representative, Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Representative, Emirate Council, Chairperson, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Representative, Kano Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), and Senior Special Assistant, KANSIEC.

The long list further includes the Representative, Council of Ulama, Representative, HISBAH Board,
Representative, Kano Traders Association, Representative, Kano Business Community, Representative, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Representative, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Representative, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Representative, National Association of Kano State Students, Representative, Kano State Youth Council, Representative, Central Working Committee of Self-Help Groups, Representative – Civil Society Organizations, Nasiru Salisu Zango, and Tijjani Sarki.

The statement said the Permanent Secretary, Establishment, Office of the Head of Civil Service,
Director, Special Duties, Special Duties Directorate, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Director, Research and Evaluation, Research, Evaluation and Political Affairs Directorate (REPA), Office of the Secretary to the State Government, and Director, Internal Affairs, Ministry of Information and Internal Affairs have been designated as Secretariat of the Taskforce.

According to the statement “The Government emphasizes that this Taskforce is not a mere administrative arrangement but a decisive step towards promoting participatory democracy and ensuring that every eligible Kano citizen registers to vote.”

It is therefore anticipated that, all stakeholders such as: traditional institutions, civil society, political parties, trade unions, youth and women organizations, and the general public to join hands with the Government to achieve the desired goal.

The State Government further emphasized that voter registration is not just a routine exercise, but a civic responsibility with extraordinary importance and a gateway to shaping the future of governance and ensuring that the voices of the people of Kano are heard at the ballot boxes.