President Goodluck Jonathan has stopped the printing of electoral and other sensitive materials abroad, calling on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to revamp the moribund Nigerian Security, Printing and Minting Company.
The president, speaking during the launch of national e-ID card in Abuja, disclosed that the government cannot continue to spend a huge sum of money to print materials outside.
He stated that the revamping of the moribund Mint was part of Godwin Emefiele’s mandates when he was to be appointed the CBN governor.
According to the President, there was no justification to print electoral materials outside the shores of Nigeria when the nation can print them in Nigeria.
Directing the apex bank’s board to engage best global players to ensure that the moribund company is revitalised, the President said “Documents of this nature are produced by other countries and so Nigeria cannot afford to empower other countries with such contracts and create jobs for their citizens”
He further said “There is no way we are doing local government election, electing House of Assembly members, electing governors in Oyo, Ekiti, Adamawa and all what we will produce will be done outside this country. Why? Other countries produce their needs; we claim to be a giant, a giant that will just send everything out?; we empower others and we don’t create jobs for our people.
And so Mint must be restructured and both Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other bodies.
For the Federal Executive Council, he said “we cannot give approval for any printing whether passport or anything except Mint says they cannot produce that. As far as Mint can produce it, we must produce everything in this country.
For the Mint to be patronised, President Jonathan said those who will use these services must have their credibility to protect.
He said the Mint must be in a position to tell INEC chairman that the security devices are okay and will be to the exact specification.
