Friday declared work-free day in Ondo

 
The Ondo State Government has declared Friday, February 4, 2011, a work-free day to enable full participation of the workforce in the Voters Registration Exercise.

Addressing the press in Akure yesterday, the Chairman, State Voters Registration Awareness Committee and Commissioner for Cooperative and Community Development, Mr. Clement Faboyede, said this is to offer the final opportunity to those who on account of some of the inadequacies associated with the exercise to register.

Faboyede who said government wants full participation of residents said access to social services like education, health and the likes will be strictly based on the possession of the voters' cards by residents of voting age while younger ones will have to present cards of their parents or wards.

The State government had before the one week extension granted for the voters registration exercise across the country declared a day and half as work free days to avail residents of the opportunity to register or risk not enjoying social services.

Faboyede said: “Pupils, in order to be eligible to register for the next term in public schools must present the voters' card of their parents.

“Also, February salaries of both public servants and political office holders will be based on physical presence and presentation of voters' cards.”

He also said those who register in locations far from their residences as a result of non-availability of machines in their vicinities will be free to vote after INEC must have perfected its acts at the end of the registration exercise saying prospective voters should not be deterred by the hiccups associated with the exercise.

“It is better to register in the next available location than to fail to participate because there are no registration units close by,” he said.

Also, the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the State had last week Saturday asked its members to keep off the road from morning till mid-day so as to participate in the exercise and reduce movement of people away from their residences.