2019: INEC, NIGCOMSAT Seal Deal on Deployment of Satellite

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reached
an agreement with the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT)
on the use of satellite to enhance the transmission of election
results from each polling pnit nationwide irrespective of
location.

The collaborative venture would also enable INEC to carry out
voter education and sensitisation through electronic message
display.

Speaking during a meeting with the Managing Director/Chief
Executive Officer, Abimbola Alale and management staff of the
Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), the chairman of
INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the aim of the deal is to extend
satellite coverage to areas currently not covered by 3G and 4G
networks (the so-called “black spots).

He said the commission was out to mobilise all national assets
and institutions for the success of the elections and the
consolidation of democracy.

“It is for this reason that we wish to leverage on the capacity
of NIGCOMSAT to provide a wide range of telecommunications
services. In particular, your broadband service offers a tremendous
flexible bandwidth capacity that can be deployed almost anywhere
and in a short period of time, including hard-to-reach and
temporary locations.

“These are invaluable to the work of INEC. Working with you and
in partnership with the NCC as well as the telecommunications
operators, we believe the challenges to the seamless transmission
of results are not insurmountable.

“We are similarly aware that NIGCOMSAT has the capacity for
Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting, multimedia, video streaming,
Hotspot event services and indoor and outdoor electronic message
displays. These services are invaluable to our work on voter
education, sensitisation and mobilisation for elections.

“Accordingly, as we prepare for the 2019 general election, INEC
wishes to collaborate with NIGCOMSAT in the following areas:
Extension of satellite coverage to areas currently not covered by
3G and 4G networks (the so-called “black spots”) so that INEC can
transmit election results from each Polling Unit nationwide
irrespective of location; and voter education and sensitisation
through electronic message display,” he said.

Yakubu assured Nigerians of the determination to transmit the
raw figures of election result, as well as the scanned images of
the result sheets from polling units in the 2019 general
election.

He also said the commission would continue “to make available
hard copies of results sheets to political party agents at each
polling unit and collation centres against which the integrity of
electronically-transmitted results can be compared, verified and
authenticated.”

According to the INEC boss, “In keeping with our current
practice, a copy of the result for each election shall be pasted at
the polling units immediately after the counting of ballots for
public knowledge and accountability.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reached
an agreement with the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT)
on the use of satellite to enhance the transmission of election
results from each polling pnit nationwide irrespective of
location.

The collaborative venture would also enable INEC to carry out
voter education and sensitisation through electronic message
display.

Speaking during a meeting with the Managing Director/Chief
Executive Officer, Abimbola Alale and management staff of the
Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), the chairman of
INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said the aim of the deal is to extend
satellite coverage to areas currently not covered by 3G and 4G
networks (the so-called “black spots).

He said the commission was out to mobilise all national assets
and institutions for the success of the elections and the
consolidation of democracy.

“It is for this reason that we wish to leverage on the capacity
of NIGCOMSAT to provide a wide range of telecommunications
services. In particular, your broadband service offers a tremendous
flexible bandwidth capacity that can be deployed almost anywhere
and in a short period of time, including hard-to-reach and
temporary locations.

“These are invaluable to the work of INEC. Working with you and
in partnership with the NCC as well as the telecommunications
operators, we believe the challenges to the seamless transmission
of results are not insurmountable.

“We are similarly aware that NIGCOMSAT has the capacity for
Direct-to-Home (DTH) broadcasting, multimedia, video streaming,
Hotspot event services and indoor and outdoor electronic message
displays. These services are invaluable to our work on voter
education, sensitisation and mobilisation for elections.

“Accordingly, as we prepare for the 2019 general election, INEC
wishes to collaborate with NIGCOMSAT in the following areas:
Extension of satellite coverage to areas currently not covered by
3G and 4G networks (the so-called “black spots”) so that INEC can
transmit election results from each Polling Unit nationwide
irrespective of location; and voter education and sensitisation
through electronic message display,” he said.

Yakubu assured Nigerians of the determination to transmit the
raw figures of election result, as well as the scanned images of
the result sheets from polling units in the 2019 general
election.

He also said the commission would continue “to make available
hard copies of results sheets to political party agents at each
polling unit and collation centres against which the integrity of
electronically-transmitted results can be compared, verified and
authenticated.”

According to the INEC boss, “In keeping with our current
practice, a copy of the result for each election shall be pasted at
the polling units immediately after the counting of ballots for
public knowledge and accountability.