The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has
revealed it would deploy satellite to remote areas where 3G and 4G
networks are not available, to monitor the 2019 general elections.
Chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this when he
visited the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian
Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT), Abimbola Alale, in Abuja,
yesterday.
“In continuation of consultations with national agencies in the
telecommunications sector, INEC considers this interactive meeting
critical to the success of our commitment to deepening of the
application of technology to elections.
“While we appreciate the tremendous reach of the telecommunications
operators, we are equally aware that some of our polling Uunits are
located in places where 3G and 4G networks are not available for real
time electronic transmission of results.
“It is for this reason that we wish to leverage on the capacity of
NIGCOMSAT to provide a wide range of telecommunication 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…”