ToT in Preparation for the Electoral Trainings for Edo State Governorship Election Scheduled for 21st Sept., 2024

Oru Leonard 

The Training of Trainers (ToT), organized by the Training Department of The Electoral Institute was held at the main auditorium of TEI on 2nd September, 2024.

In his opening address, the Chairman of the Board of the Electoral Institute (BEI), Prof. Abdul Abdu Zuru, emphasized that the Commission is committed to improving every election conducted. He highlighted the significance of this training and mentioned key initiatives such as the scanning and upload of election results using the improved IReV Mobile App, the use of Form EC 40G(PU) for recording the number of registered voters at polling units where elections were not held or were canceled, and the deployment of BVAS and INEC-SANS to guarantee free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections. He stressed the importance of acquainting oneself with these innovations to entrench a culture of credible elections in Nigeria.

In his welcome remarks, the Director General of The Electoral Institute (TEI), Dr. Sa’ad Umar Idris, noted the high stakes of the Edo State Governorship Election and urged participants to be active and attentive to ensure a productive and rewarding outcome. He further mentioned that the Institute has developed E-Training platforms, such as the INEC E-school and the E-Bot which provides flexible training programmes allowing election personnel to take courses at their convenience.

The Training BOT, an interactive online tutor housed on Telegram, and the Virtual Training Coordinating and Reporting Tool were also introduced to enhance training. The DG encouraged participants to take advantage of these platforms to improve their skills.

The technical aspect of the training included an extensive hands-on practical session on the various technologies to be deployed by the Commission during the Edo State Governorship Election, including BVAS, IReV, and the INEC E-school and E-Bot.

Presentations were also made by the ICT, E-Operations, Planning & Monitoring, and Gender & Inclusivity departments.

It is expected that, at the end of the ToT, the trained officials will be able to effectively cascade the training to Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Presiding Officers (POs), and Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs) who will be deployed for the election. Among those present at the ToT were Dr. Binta Kasim Mohammed, Director of Training; Dr. Ibrahim Sani, Director of Research & Documentation; Dorathy Bello, Director of Gender and Inclusivity; Mr. Bolaji Oje, representing the Director of E-Operations; Mr. Tunde Ajayi, representing the Director of ICT; and Mr. Yakubu Mazila from the Planning and Monitoring department.

Participants are mainly staff from TEI and the various departments of the Commission.