25th January, 2011
The Rivers State government has declared Wednesday public holiday to enable workers participate in the ongoing voters registration exercise.
Mr Sovens Okari, Permanent Secretary, Special Services Bureau in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.
The statement directed heads of ministries and extra ministerial departments to enforce the directive by ensuring that workers complied with it.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that last week, Governor Chibuike Amaechi warned that residents of the state who failed to get voter’s card would not be allowed to enroll their children into government-owned schools.
He also said that they would not be allowed free medical care in state-owned hospitals if they failed to register.
Meanwhile, the police command in Jigawa has arrested two foreigners for allegedly registering as voters in the ongoing registration exercise in the area.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Alhaji Hashimu Argungu, disclosed this on Monday in Dutse while briefing newsmen.
He said the two suspects from Gamaye in Tawa village, Niger Republic, were arrested by an immigration officer in Gwaram local government as they were obtaining voter’s cards.
Argungu said the suspects registered at Tsangaya Yama, adding that immigration authorities had handed them over to the police for prosecution.
He said the foreigners’ action was contrary to provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 and the 1999 Constitution.
