Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has inaugurated the Electoral Logistics Committee (ELoC) to handle all movements of electoral materials across the country.

The Chairman, Professor Mohamoud Yakubu made this known at the headquarters of the Commission in Abuja.

According to the Chairman, the Electoral Logistics Committee (ELoC) is distinct from the Commission’s Electoral Operations and Logistics Committee (EOLC) which is a standing committee chaired by a National Commissioner but rather it is an inter-agency committee established close to a General Election for a specific objective and It is ad hoc in nature.

He said that, “the establishment of the Committee is borne out of the Commission’s effort to ensure the speedy and safe delivery of huge quantities of sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the 2023 General Election. The logistics for the clearance, handling, custody, delivery and distribution of enormous quantities of election materials is the biggest operation Nigeria undertakes every four years. Therefore, for effective coordination, the Commission believes that every national asset must be mobilised”.

Prof Yakubu explained further that, for the movement of election materials and protection of personnel nationwide, Section 27(3) of the Electoral Act 2022 empowers the Commission to seek for the support of the armed forces. Therefore, the three armed services (Army, Navy and Air Force) are members of ELoC.

Similarly, the Nigeria Police Force, being the lead agency in election security, is also a member as well as the sister security agencies. The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) are also members pursuant to their statutory responsibilities for the clearance and release of materials atseaports and other entry points into the country.

“At our various airports, aviation agencies such as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian Air Space Management Agency (NAMA) play important roles, including the facilitation of access to all airports nationwide for shuttle services for elections as the need arises”.

“Also, the aviation handling companies – Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) and Skyway Aviation Handling Company (SAHCO)– are for the provision of ground facilities for loading and offloading of cargo at airports. Equally the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) is a member of ELoC to provide expert advice on weather-related issues to facilitate proper and efficient planning and delivery of materials”, he added.

Those present for the event are: the Inspector General of Police, the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Acting Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps.

Representatives of Various Security Agencies, representative of the Nigeria Customs Service, representative of the Federal Fire Service, the Director General of the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMET), Heads of Various Aviation Agencies, the President NURTW and Heads of the Various Aviation Handling Companies.