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Pupils subjected to hard labour during teachers strike

It is now a month since teachers across the country laid down their tools in protest over the government’s failure to enhance their salaries. Since September 15, schools have remained silent, and children who should be in class are now engaged in work that exposes them to risk and exploitation.

The Arts teachers, under their trade union, Uganda National Teachers’ Union (Unatu), went on strike, demanding pay equity with their science counterparts, a demand the government has yet to address.

As a result, homes that were once seen as safe spaces for children have turned into zones of exploitation, with many forced into hard labour that threatens their health and wellbeing.

Instead of attending lessons and playing during break time, many children now spend their days gardening, working on farms, fetching water, grazing animals, hawking foodstuffs, or keeping shops.

In Serere District, 16-year-old Jethro Ongiji, a Primary Six pupil at Adipala Primary School in Atiira Sub-county, rides a bicycle 25 kilometres to Soroti City carrying a bag of charcoal to sell on his father’s instructions.

‘Sometimes I feel like reading my books and practicing mathematics, but time doesn’t allow because daddy gives me exhausting assignments that must be completed,’ Ongiji said.

In Soroti City East, 10-year-old Kolostica Akulo, a Primary Four pupil of Aloe-Minit Primary School, helps her grandmother by selling roasted potatoes on the streets.

‘My grandma said the business supports all of us. If I don’t help, there will be no source of income for our survival,’ Akulo said.

Another pupil, Suraj Kautu of Kichinjaji Primary School, hawks jackfruit on his mother’s orders to raise money for household needs.

‘I’m assigned to sell food items to supplement my mother’s efforts,’ he said.

Joel Okiso, a Primary Three pupil at Moruapesur Primary School, earns Shs2,000 a day after selling a bucket of eggs for his employer.

For Evelyn Adupo Among, a Primary Seven candidate at Swaria Primary School, the strike has disrupted her studies and preparation for exams.

‘There’s no time for books. We spend most of our time on domestic work. Even if we get time to read, there’s no teacher to guide us,’ she said. The Soroti Resident City Commissioner (RCC), Mr Emmanuel Okurut, recently raised concern that some girls have become victims of sexual exploitation.

‘Some of our girls are now at risk. If we don’t resume teaching, they will be sexually exploited, get pregnant, or contract HIV,’ Mr Okurut warned during a meeting with headteachers.

Mr Stephen Opejo, the LC1 chairperson of Cell D in Soroti City East Division, said most children engaged in hard labour come from single-mother households or live with relatives who mistreat them.

‘Many of them work to support themselves or their families. Some parents are not aware that they are exposing their children to harm,’ he said. However, some parents such as Mr Pascal Edaru of Opucet Village in Gweri Sub-county argue that assigning children tasks helps them learn survival skills.

‘The one who helps a parent to take charcoal to town for sale is better than those spending time on TikTok. Such children learn to survive and will never lack even if the education system fails,’ Mr Edaru said.

But others disagree. Soroti District Senior Probation Officer Amos Oluka, who confirmed four cases of child labour exploitation, warned that many cases go unreported because parents justify them as ‘child participation in domestic production.’

Parents’ roles

‘Parenting should be a shared responsibility that guides children to develop life skills and good character,’ Mr Oluka said.

‘They should not be pushed into activities that expose them to health risks like collecting scrap, heavy labour, or early relationships,’ he added.

He urged parents to assign children simple tasks such as cleaning compounds or helping in the kitchen, not activities that rob them of their childhood.

Meanwhile, The Minister of State for Disability Affairs, Ms Helen Grace Asamo, called on probation officers to use their platforms to sensitise the public about parental responsibility and children’s rights.

‘The community must understand the limits of child involvement in domestic work. Every child deserves protection and time to learn,’ Ms Asamo said.

Background

President Museveni has warned teachers not too assume the government will tolerate continued strikes.

He cautioned them: “Don’t dare going on sttike. There are many people searching for jobs; don’t divert us.”

But Unatu has made it clear that their negotiation is with the government as a whole and noto just with Mr Museveni or any single official. They view previously agreed terms as binding and expect them to be fulfilled.

Minister: Handshakes spreading illness, avoid them

The State Minister for Karamoja Affairs Ms Florence Nambozo has called upon Ugandans to avoid shaking hands in public if they are to avoid preventable diseases caused by dirt.

While presiding over the launch of the second phase of the Dettol Hygiene Quest on October 17 in Kampala, Ms Nambozo said Ugandans should re-adopt the culture they applied during the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

‘We have people who pick their noses everywhere. They sneeze or blow their noses using their hands without washing afterward. You don’t know which germs remain on their hands or in the air,’ she said.

‘I call upon everyone who values their health to avoid unnecessary handshakes. You can politely make a gesture or bow while greeting someone. You never know where their hands have been. People visit washrooms and ignore washing their hands,’ she added.

According to Ms Namboozo, many people who do not wash their hands unknowingly spread disease-causing bacteria and viruses through handshakes.

Scientific research supports her concern, showing that contaminated hands can transmit pathogens capable of causing respiratory, urinary, intestinal, skin, and surgical-site infections.

Scientists further recommend regular handwashing as a key preventive measure against the spread of such infections.

The Dettol Hygiene Quest, whose first phase was first unveiled in March, has reached over 750 schools across Ibanda, Rukungiri, Kanungu, Bundibugyo, Rakai, Iganga, and Kamuli districts.

More than 1,500 handwashing facilities have been installed, with each school receiving two tanks; one for boys and another for girls. The program has also trained teachers on hygiene and sanitation practices.

Dr Shamim Nabuuma Kalisa, CEO of Chill Group of Companies, announced that the second phase introduces a new digital innovation; the Dettol Hygiene Quest Chatbot to monitor learner absenteeism and help teachers develop lesson plans.

“This technology can be used by schools in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania beyond the Hygiene Quest network. It’s completely free. As children began washing hands before eating and after using toilets, we saw a drastic decline in diseases and fewer cases of absenteeism,’ she said.

Bonface Shaka Onyari, Reckitt Country Director, reaffirmed their commitment to promoting hygiene and protecting families from hygiene-related diseases.

‘Access to hygiene is not a privilege. It’s a basic right for every citizen, not only in Uganda but globally. Good hygiene is more than cleanliness. Its protection, prevention, and empowerment. It keeps children healthy, reduces absenteeism, and enables them to thrive.’

Can our Independence be felt in the soil?

As Uganda marks 63 years of Independence, it is worth pausing to reflect on those who have fed, built, and sustained this nation quietly — our farmers.

From the green ridges of Kisoro to the plains of Karamoja, from the coffee slopes of Bugisu to the cattle corridors of Ankole, the story of Uganda is, at its heart, the story of agriculture.

Yet, as we celebrate six decades of political freedom, our farming sector remains stubbornly chained to poverty, outdated tools, and uncertainty.

The hand hoe – that emblem of struggle – still defines the life of millions. It is heartbreaking that, in 2025, most Ugandan farmers continue to depend on luck and rain instead of technology, irrigation, and access to markets.

The promise of modern agriculture has been repeated in countless speeches since 1962, but for most rural communities, progress remains painfully slow. Government initiatives often start with fanfare and fade with the budget year.

Tractors are commissioned but rarely maintained; cooperatives are revived but underfunded; and subsidies, when they come, are captured by middlemen before they reach the smallholder who needs them most. Independence was meant to deliver dignity, self-reliance, and prosperity.

For farmers, that dream has been postponed again and again. Uganda’s economy still relies heavily on agriculture – employing over 70 percent of our population – yet the sector receives less than three percent of the National Budget. How can we talk of Independence when the backbone of our nation is starved of support? The irony is that our land remains one of Africa’s most fertile.

Uganda could easily become a food powerhouse for the region – exporting quality coffee, beef, milk, fruits, and grains. Global demand for organic produce is rising. Urban and diaspora markets are hungry for Ugandan products. But without investment in value addition, storage, and processing, farmers will continue to sell cheaply and import expensively.

Climate change is another storm. Unpredictable rains, prolonged droughts, and crop diseases are threatening livelihoods. Yet, agricultural insurance, research, and irrigation remain token efforts. We cannot keep asking farmers to be resilient without giving them the tools to adapt.

Uganda’s Independence story must now enter a new chapter – one that prioritises agricultural liberation. That means freeing farmers from subsistence to enterprise, from hand hoes to mechanisation, and from middlemen’s traps to market power.

It means ensuring every regional block has functional irrigation systems, farmer cooperatives that truly work, and youth who see farming as a profitable career, not a punishment.

As we wave our flags and sing the national anthem, let us remember this: true independence is not just political – it is economic and agricultural.

A nation cannot claim freedom when its farmers are still chained by poverty, poor policies, and neglect.

Uganda’s first generation fought for political liberation; ours must fight for agricultural transformation. Only then shall we feed our people with pride and truly stand tall as an independent nation.

Will machines take over? The future of work in an AI world

Last weekend, I had an intriguing conversation with a friend, who said: ‘I honestly don’t understand why people think that in a few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will take over everything, and that people won’t even be needed at work anymore.’

That comment stayed with me. It revealed just how quickly society has normalised the fear that AI could, one day, replace the very people it was designed to assist. But if you think about it, if a person or company genuinely believes AI can entirely replace human effort, it has already lost something far more essential.. its ability to think critically and creatively.

Kara Swisher, a prominent technology journalist and commentator, says AI was not created to replace human intelligence, but to augment it. It is meant to simplify processes, eliminate repetitive tasks, and enhance decision-making.

Yet, it cannot replicate human emotion, empathy, ethics, or the instinct that drives purpose-driven innovation. Similarly, in Humans + Machines: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI by H. James Wilson and Paul R. Daugherty, the authors emphasise that AI is most powerful when humans and machines collaborate, leveraging the unique strengths of both.

Of course, for many of us, the media we grew up consuming, from the Terminator movies to countless sci-fi shows have shaped our imagination and often exaggerated what AI can actually do.

Now, as a late millennial, you catch my drift: those early portrayals still influence how I think about technology today. Yet I would like to believe the reality is far less dramatic and more encouraging: AI is an agent as well as a tool, not a threat. In public relations and communications, human understanding remains irreplaceable. You cannot automate intuition. You cannot programme emotional connection.

You cannot teach a machine to care about people, perception, or trust and these are precisely the foundations of a brand’s credibility and long-term success.

When organisations rush to replace humans with technology, they risk losing authenticity and the human touch that builds relationships and sustains reputations. The leaders who will thrive are those who see AI not as a replacement, but as a strategic partner that allows people to think more deeply, create more thoughtfully, and act with purpose

Now don’t get me wrong, AI is powerful. But it remains a reflection of the human mind that created it. The real danger lies not in AI itself, but in human smugness and believing machines can substitute creativity, empathy, and judgment.

So, perhaps the question isn’t whether AI will take over everything. The real question is: shall we allow it to take over our ability to think, to feel, and to lead with humanity? As a Ugandan navigating a rapidly changing world, I see enormous opportunity.

AI can lift us, streamline our work, and solve problems that would have taken decades. But its promise will only be realised if we remember that humans must remain at the heart of innovation, as well as decision-making.

Address structural, social barriers to breastfeeding

This is breast cancer awareness month and specialists at the Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) have highlighted poor breastfeeding as one of the major reasons behind the 4,000 new breast cancer cases registered annually in the country.

The country is struggling with general increases in cancer cases, with an estimated 34,000 people developing different types of cancers each year, according to UCI. The cancer survival rate of around 20 percent means most of these patients die. Many patients do not get the right diagnosis and care due to gaps in our health system and poor health-seeking behaviour.

There are many risk factors (causes) of cancer that can be prevented, and those that are beyond our control.

Lifestyle-related factors such as not breastfeeding, smoking and physical inactivity are some of the known risk factors for cancer that can be prevented. Health experts say breastfeeding for a year and beyond offers stronger protection against breast cancer. They recommend breastfeeding for at least a year and up to two years.

But findings in the 2022 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) report show that close to 20 percent of mothers were not breastfeeding their children by the 12th month, the minimum time required to optimise the benefit of breastfeeding as a preventive measure for breast cancer. Breastfeeding declined further.

According to the UDHS report, by 18 months, more than 57 percent of mothers were no longer breastfeeding their children, meaning many mothers are not maximising the potential of this cancer prevention method.

Mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies. For some time, activists have been advocating for the creation of breastfeeding areas at workplaces for privacy, but the implementation has been very slow, or not implemented at all.

Researchers have highlighted that there are other obstacles related to employment, with issues like short maternity leave, inflexible schedules, and a lack of private spaces for breastfeeding or pumping at work, as well as childcare limitations.

Husbands, communities and the government should continue encouraging mothers to breastfeed while addressing structural barriers to breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is not only important for the prevention of cancer but also for the development of the baby by offering essential nutrients and imparting immunity to the baby for a healthier life.

But as we continue to advocate for the prevention of breast cancer by embracing longer breastfeeding, UCI scientists have also recommended frequent self-examination of one’s breasts to detect changes early and report to a nearby health facility if one senses lumps in the breast.

This applies to both men and women since all of them can be affected by breast cancer. Dr Jackson Orem, the UCI director, says with early detection and timely treatment, up to 90 percent of breast cancers are curable.

Evangelist Uma Ukpai brought healing, hope and transformation of lives

The late renowned Christian evangelist, founder and president of the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association (UUEFA), a non-denominational gospel ministry based in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Uma Ukpai has been described as one who brought hope and transformation to countless lives.

This was contained in a statement by a former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi while expressing ‘deep sadness over the loss’ of the octogenarian cleric.

Ukpai also received high accolades from Nigerians of all works of life and leadership as international evangelist, preacher, prophet and bridge builder across different denominations.

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He held yearly Greater Ohafia for Christ Crusades in his native homeland, alongside other citywide crusades and international outreach programmes. In 2016, alongside the pastor of Comfort Zone Ministries, Dr Celestine Iwendi, Ukpai held the Anioma One-Million Man Crusade, similar to previous events like the Nsukka 2012, Greater Ibadan for Christ, 1982, Greater Lagos for Christ, 1985 and many more.

Ukpai organised some medical programmes, providing free services through the Uma Ukpai Eye Centre, and King of Kings Hospital, a specialist hospital for patients from Abia, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

Ukpai was the proprietor of Uma Ukpai School of Theology and Biblical Studies, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State; Uma Ukpai Polytechnic, Asaga, Abia State; Uma Ukpai Scholarship Foundation and Joseph Business School, an affiliate of Chicago, USA-based institution.

He attended Uma Ukpai Memorial Primary School, Asaga and Khana County Council School, Ogoni. He passed through the All Saints Secondary School, Aba, and Niger Delta Technical School, now Boys’ Technical College, Aba. Uma Ukpai graduated from the School of Journalism and Television, Frisham, Hermitage, United Kingdom; South Florida Christian College Miami, Florida, USA; Carolina Christian University and Burke Bible College, Kentucky, USA. He held a Certificate in Electrical Engineering Practice, a Diploma in Journalism, bachelor and doctorate degrees in Divinity.

Health insurance enrolment hits 21m – NHIA

The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has said that over 21 million Nigerians have enrolled in the national health insurance scheme, surpassing its 2025 target.

The director-general of the NHIA, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, disclosed this in Abuja during a stakeholders’ engagement with self-financing government agencies.

The meeting, which brought together desk officers and focal persons from self-paying ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), aimed to strengthen collaboration and deepen understanding of the health insurance system.

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Ohiri, who was represented by Nuhu Ajodi, the director of the Formal Sector Department in the agency, said that under the President Bola Tinubu administration, the agency had achieved significant progress in expanding coverage and improving access to quality health care.

‘We have moved from below 12 million enrollees to over 21 million, surpassing the presidential target for 2025,’ he said.

He said the reforms under the National Health Insurance Authority Act 2022 had made health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians and repositioned the organisation to deliver on its mandate more effectively.

Ohiri added that the engagement with self-paying agencies was part of efforts to familiarise focal persons with NHIA’s processes, ensure transparency in premium computation and strengthen operational efficiency.

‘Our desk officers are NHIA ambassadors in their organisations. They are the first point of contact when enrollees face challenges and must be well equipped to respond,’ he said.

According to him, the Authority’s weeklong stakeholder engagements will also cover treasury-funded agencies and the organised private sector to further expand health coverage nationwide.

He said the NHIA was strengthening its collaboration with self-paying government agencies to enhance transparency, efficiency and stakeholder understanding of Nigeria’s health insurance system.

The director-general said the meeting aimed to familiarise NHIA desk officers and focal persons across self-paying agencies with the Authority’s operations, appreciate their roles in the health insurance ecosystem and improve collaboration.

According to him, participants were also expected to gain insight into how premiums are determined, including the rates and criteria used in computing contributions based on staff strength and salary levels.

‘This will promote transparency and help agencies plan and project their yearly budgets for remittance to NHIA to sustain coverage,’ he said.

He said the meeting also seeks to deepen participants’ understanding of the Authority’s mandate, legal framework, and ongoing reforms under the NHIA Act 2022, which makes health insurance mandatory for all Nigerians.

’PCC received over 1.8m complaints in 50 years’

The chief commissioner of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC), Bashir Abubakar, has said that the organisation received 1,802,267 complaints from the public over its 50-year history.

Speaking in Abuja at a news conference to mark PCC’s 50th anniversary, Abubakar said that 1,279,489 of such complaints were resolved and closed, while 522,778 are pending.

‘In the last 50 years, we have handled complaints, restoring hope to Nigerians. From resolving disputes to policy changes, our interventions have strengthened governance by holding institutions and officials accountable.

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‘We look into complaints against ministries, local bodies, public institutions, private firms and others under the Companies and Allied Matters Act.

‘PCC’s contribution to nation-building is profound. Its success is evident in 1,802,267 complaints received, of which 1,279,489 were closed in 50 years, with 522,778 pending’.

He said PCC’s work had led to the amendment and removal of unjust regulations, enhancing administrative fairness.

The chief commissioner said that despite the commission’s achievements, it faced significant challenges, particularly inadequate funding, adding that, ‘Limited budgetary allocations have constrained our logistics, capacity building and operational efficiency.’

He, however, said the organisation remained resolute and is restructuring its operations to align with global best practices, leveraging technology for efficient case management to ensure swift justice.

FG launches digital trademark for MSMEs

The federal government, on Friday in Abuja, launched the National Digital Trustmark for micro, small and medium enterprises, targeted at enhancing trade and attracting investments in Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

Speaking at the launch, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), said the digital trust seal was a visible mark of credibility and compliance for e-commerce platforms and vendors, assuring customers of their reliability.

The initiative is led by the NITDA, in collaboration with the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), with the support of the German Development Corporation (GIZ).

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Abdullahi, represented by Dr Wariowei Dimie, NITDA’s Director of Corporate Planning and Strategy, said the Trustmark would foster confidence and promote a safer, more trusted and globally competitive digital economy for Nigeria.

According to him, ‘The trustmark will directly address challenges such as online scams and phishing by providing a transparent, verifiable and credible system to identify businesses that demonstrate customer trustworthiness.

Abdullahi added that the digital trustmark is not a one-time badge but a dynamic trust system, featuring a certification that must be earned, renewed and continuously strengthened over time.

Also speaking, Mr Akinropo Omoware, the deputy team lead, GIZ-Pan Africa E-commerce Initiative (PECI), said the trustmark aimed to empower MSMEs to build credibility, comply with global standards and compete confidently in the evolving digital marketplace.

Amendment will enhance quality of elections – Itodo

Samson Itodo is a Nigerian lawyer, founder and executive director of Yiaga, Africa, a non governmental organisation for the promoting democracy in Africa. He explains why the proposal on holding elections early is apt, noting that it will enhance election process in Nigeria.

There’s a proposal before the National Assembly for the Electoral Act 2027 to ensure the next general elections is conducted in 2026. What is your view?

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The proposal to adjust the timetable for elections is driven by two reasons: The first one is that there’s a great need to resolve all electoral disputes because the Constitution provides that elections shall take place not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days.

What that means is that elections cannot hold 30 days before the end of the tenure of the incumbent. And why is that the case? There are instances where elections are not concluded on first ballot, and so you need to take a runoff. And so, when you get the runoff together, you discover that to avert constitutional crisis, it’s always good to give a vote.

It’s not the first time we’re having this proposal. It came up in the last amendment exercise, so it’s not new. It’s just that it did not pasts the last time but it is a proposal that enjoys support.

If you want electoral disputes to end before swearing-in on May 29, first, if you factor in 121 days from the date of the occurrence of the course of action, then factor in 180 days, that’s six months, and then factor in the 60 days on appeal, and then 60 days in the Supreme Court, it takes you relatively about nine to ten months to conclude electoral disputes. So, if you do nine to ten months, and elections are due to hold in February, nine to ten months will mean that elections will hold in 2026.

So, the best thing to do is to abridge the number of days for either the litigation process at the tribunal level, or the second thing to do is to limit the jurisdiction. So, you adjust the elections.

At what point should they start, and what will be the court of finality? So, for pre-election matters, do they have to go all the way to the Supreme Court, or they can terminate at the court of appeal?

It will give us the time to resolve all electoral disputes before swearing-in, to avoid issues around the bandwagon effect that comes as a result of the different dates for elections, or to give the judiciary a space to assert its own independence. Because when incumbents come to office, as we have seen in the past, they use the first three or four months to engage the judiciary as a way of currying favour, whether through granting them increase in salaries or promotion.

So, these conversations are a function of the fact that we have weak institutions, and these institutions are unable to withstand political pressure.

It means YIAGA Africa is in support of this amendment proposal?

Yeah, absolutely. YIAGA, Africa supports this, it aligns with some of the proposals that we have made.

Did you put into consideration other bodies that will be involved in the election, political parties, INEC itself, the security agencies. Do you think they have enough time to prepare?

No, quite frankly, there is no time. And you know, that’s why we’ve been screaming and advocating that the entire process of amendment ends early. Because the situation we find ourselves is such that INEC is going to be under intense pressure to deliver. Two, the political parties would also have issues, you know, trying to organise themselves. Because if elections hold in November, it means we will have primaries earlier than we think. So that itself is problematic. The amendment process has several proposals. And we’re trying new things at the same time.

We have to be careful so the system does not collapse or crash. There are innovations coming up, and we don’t have time. So, the earlier the National Assembly concludes the amendment, the better it is for everyone. They can pass the amendment and then move implementation to the next round of elections if it becomes too complicated.

Another fear people have is on governance itself. You know, once INEC blows the whistle, governance stops as everyone focuses on the election. If, it is held earlier, don’t you think it will impact negatively on governance?

Campaigns, vigorous campaigns started a few months ago. We’ve already started feeling like the elections are on. Why? Just because of the attitude of our political class. So, I think that governance has ended for the most part. This is just going to reinforce it. Every action of government is now geared towards 2027. I do not know if it will make any difference because campaigns for 2027 started months ago with all sorts of endorsements. You move around cities across Nigeria, there are billboards. You even feel that the election …

YIAGA Africa and other civil society, have called on INEC several times to wield the big stick to regulate this early commencement of campaigns. If this thing sails through now, it will make it worse.

But you see, our duty is to continue to call the attention of stakeholders to perform their duty. Secondly, it is to continue to hold them to higher standards. For instance, why is it that the security agencies have not pulled down the billboards, you know, across the FCT or across states? It is not INEC’s duty to pull down those billboards. It is the security agencies, right?

The law needs to be strengthened to criminalise these campaigns by third parties. Because what the law says and what INEC’s guidelines says, even though there isn’t any ambiguity, there is a gap that is being exploited by political actors, and that’s something that we need to address.

Asides fitting into the legal requirement for participating in the election, what other advantages does this proposal offer?

It provides clarity for INEC and other institutions, so they don’t also get distracted, you know, with the whole business of settling down. So, for instance, when you conduct elections early, once the elections are concluded, it’s all reverse logistics. There’s also the post-election dispute.

It gives the institution the opportunity to conclude everything that it has to do with the post-election audit. And that can be done devoid of any sort of pressure or political interference. Secondly, it does provide some level of clarity, even for the other security agencies, because when you conclude an election, they have time to settle, and plan before swearing in. Once the disputes are being resolved, the coast becomes clearer for all the actors to know where they stand before they get into office.

So, they begin on a clean slate.

If this bill sails through would you advise INEC to go ahead with registering new political parties?

If this bill passes, it will alter a lot of timelines. The first thing the lawmakers must ensure is that they have to cross-reference effectively, so that the time is not affected by other activities. For instance, the law says the registration of political parties must end 12 months before the date of an election.

Merger must end nine months, right? So, if, for instance, the law is passed, say, in December, like the Senate amendment, will the president assent to it? Because it only takes a second to get the president to sign it. If it slows into a negative, the implication is that some of those activities, those timelines, would have been bridged. Therefore, some of these actions can no longer be implemented unless the lawmakers now change or amend the timeframe in the act.

So, they have to be conscious of the chain reaction, or what we call consequential amendments that would be required to be made in the law. If they don’t do that, we might head for a crisis, and perhaps we’ll end in the courts, because there is a conflict in the law. Without proper attention to cross-referencing, we might end up in the courts, and we now empower the courts to make some judicial pronouncements, which can also impact or lead to disruption of the entire electoral calendar activities.

What would be your advice to politicians in case this proposal comes through?

I think the first thing they need to do is, study the law once this is passed, and check what is the implication of it for their own operations. So, they need to seek legal opinion, and then start preparing. They should not wait. If they have any issues with the law, they have the courts to adjudicate on matters of this nature. But first, they shouldn’t allow the law pass without engaging the National Assembly, and make their case. So, they have the opportunity to do that now, they don’t need to wait.

The National Assembly members represent three sets of people, so they should engage them strategically, and make their case, and ensure that they direct attention to some of these issues.