TheCable

The Oyo state government says it has approved the sum of N279.5 million for the production of ballot papers for the forthcoming local government election.

Wasiu Olatunbosun, the state commissioner for information, culture and tourism, disclosed this in Ibadan after the ninth executive council meeting for 2021.

According to him, the ballot papers will be produced by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC).

“The council approved the production of ballot papers to be used for the forthcoming local government election, which is scheduled to hold on May 15, 2021. The production is directly awarded to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company,” the commissioner said.

“We did this to show how serious and transparent we are and how prepared this administration is towards the forthcoming election. We are giving the contract for the production out to a reputable printing company known for printing of security materials.

“In the past elections in the state, they made use of the government printing press. But this time around, we want a third party to handle these sensitive materials so that nobody will have access to the ballot papers.”

The council said it has also approved the sum of N1.2 billion for construction of a governor’s lodge and other buildings for state officials at 2, John Kadiya Close, Abuja, through alternative project funding approach.

Speaking after the SEC meeting, Kehinde Sangodoyin, commissioner for public works and infrastructure in the state, said the project will be completed in the next six months.

“The lodge has been there for a while and our government noticed the dilapidated condition. The new lodge will have the governor’s lodge, deputy governor’s lodge, some chalets, fittings and some furniture, which will be of modern type. This is part of what the administration will leave behind,” Sangodoyin said.

“The edifice will cost the government of Oyo state the sum of N1,201,760,000 only. Once the construction has been awarded, the duration for the completion of the project is just six months. So, it is believed that six months after the award of the contract, the project will be completed and it will have the facilities I have mentioned earlier.”