Cubinks NEWS

  By EDDY OCHIGBO T he electoral process remains a key pillar of especially nascent democracies. This is more so because it is the only legitimate process that produces elected leaders across all levels of governance. The hallmark of democracy is in its transparency, fairness and credibility. However, in Nigeria our electoral process has been characterized by both institutional and process rigging. Political parties and candidates have continued to take advantage of the nation's weak legal frameworks to rig elections. Even at the level of Tribunal, Appeal and Supreme courts, technicalities take advantage of lacunas to uphold rigged elections. This cannot be unconnected with the poor quality of leaders the system is producing. Elections are no longer a popularity contest based on credibility, competence and sensitivity to the plight of the poor. It is now for the highest bidder with enough resources to subvert the process. Little wonder that election thuggery, snatching of ballot, b

  Executive Secretary, Abubakar Hassan (center) and his team at Zaria By EDDY OCHIGBO V ulnerable communities and wards in and around Zaria and its environs have been sensitized and strengthened to tackle possible disasters, ranging from gully erosion, insecurity, fire and rape vis-a-vis the ongoing environmental hazards awareness campaign across Kaduna state. Keen watchers believe that the move - which is aimed at system strengthening on emergency coordination and response strategy - in collaboration with the United State Agency for International Development's Nigeria Early Recovery Initiative (NERI) would drastically reduce peoples' vulnerability and possible disasters in the state. "To prevent disasters, we must get the people equipped and prepared to understand what constitutes hazards, risks etc., as well as what they should do to identify early warning signs and signals. The exercise is taking place in all the wards and communities in Tudun Wada, Sabon Gari, Zaria Ci

By YUSUF ISHAKU GOJE T he budget is said to be the second most important document outside the constitution, without which even the constitution cannot fully function. It enables governments to turn campaign promises articulated as policies into concrete public services that seek to improve the overall living standard of the people. That is why it remains the most critical socio-economic policy tool that outlines the government's priorities in financial terms. The extent to which the government's proposed spending sticks to what it has projected as realistic revenue makes a budget credible. Therefore, it also becomes a measurement of government's sincerity and capacity to deliver on campaign promises. More importantly, the credibility of any budget depends on its realism, as you cannot spend what you cannot get. That means for a budget to be realistic it has to be substantially achievable. However, politicians are always under pressure to spend more, most times overshooting