Wednesday 28 March 2018

Vacancy for Senior Program Officer at CLEEN Foundation, Owerri


Job Vacancy at CLEEN Foundation, Owerri

Position: Senior Program Officer

Location: CLEEN Foundation, Owerri Office

Application Deadline: 15th April 2018

About CLEEN Foundation
The CLEEN Foundation formerly known as Centre for Law Enforcement Education is a civil society organization established in 1998 to promote public safety, security and access to justice through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with Government, Civil Society and the Private Sector.
It has carried out its mission largely through a strategy of building successful civil-state partnerships in justice sector. CLEEN Foundation is valued by the demand side, trusted by the supply side, and recognized by the Nigeria security sector due to its proven and visible positive impact on police and policing in Nigeria. It is acknowledged by International partners, government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Civil Society Organizations, and beneficiaries as an organization that does serious work in research, awareness and capacity building of other Civil Society Organizations at the grassroots.

Vision: We aspire to be the leading civil society organization on public safety, security and justice in Africa.


Mission: To promote public safety, security and access to justice, through empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with government, civil society and the private sector.


Job Description
A.      Programme Management
1.       Designing of projects in line with the organization’s vision, mission and strategic objectives.
2.          Lead in programme implementation with the South East and South South zones.
3.       Monitor all aspects of the program implementation to facilitate the realization of the programs goals and objectives.
4.       Coordinate all CLEEN’s activities within South East and South South regions.
5.       Maintain effective communication with partners and stakeholders with the South East and South-South geopolitical zones.
6.        Contribute to program implementation across the other two offices of CLEEN.
7.        Carry out research within the two zones that form the basis for programme interventions.
8.       Quality contribut to the organization’s publications.
9.       Maintain and improve relationship with Donors and Project partners.
10.   Ensure quality and timely reporting on the projects beeing implemented with the South East and South-south zones.
11.   Coordinate effective monitoring and evaluation of projects under the zones.

B.      Fund Raising
1.       Identify new project opportunities that could be implemented with the two zones and play lead role in drafting proposals for fundraising.
2.       Contribute to Cleen larger fundraising drive through project design, sale of CLEEN’s publications and marketing of office facilities. (Conference hall, Resource Centre etc).
3.       Identification of new donors.

C.      Administrative and Financial Managment
1.       As Head of the Owerri Office.
2.       Supervise all administrative activities in Owerri Office of CLEEN Foundation.
3.        Ensure Value of Money Policy of the organization is adhered to in all transaction and activities carried by Owerri Office.
4.       Work in close collaboration with other program heads, teams and institutional support colleagues in organization.
5.       Ensure the effective running of the Monday morning meeting in the Owerri office.
6.       Participate in the monthly meetings of the Executive Management Committee as a member.
7.       Represent the organization in speaking engagements, workshops, and seminars  within the two szones as directed by the Executive Director or any other person acting on his behalf.
8.       Ensure effective management of the Owerri office finances. Prepare and manage budget for project and prepare proper records of financial transactions requisition expenditures, retirements for projects and office overheads.
9.       Maintain line supervision of all staff working in Owerri office.
General Duties Include:
·         The maintenance of regular communication and reporting procedures with the Executive Director or his designate, other staff and/or consultants of CLEEN Foundation.
·          Remain knowledgeable about concepts and issues in public safety, security and access to justice in West Africa;
·         Carry out any other functions that may be directed by the Executive Director or any other person acting on behalf.

Qualifications and Experience:
·         First degree in Law, Political Science or any Social Science course; Master Degree is added advantage
·         Minimum of 5 years work experience in a law chambers or development sector.
·         Working Experience in the NGO sector within the South East and South South is essential.


Required Skills and Competencies
§       Excellent communication skills in both verbal and written English. Basic knowledge of Igbo Language is desirable.
§       Excellent interpersonal skills.
§       Communicate sensitively with colleagues, partners, donor agencies, NGOs, members of the public
§       Interest in progressive issues and commitment to public interest work
§       Prioritize work and take initiatives within agreed guidelines and set deadlines
§       Proficiency with Microsoft Office required and Internet;
§       Willingness to develop professional and personal skills necessary to perform assigned tasks 
§       Work accurately and in detail particularly under pressure of deadlines and maintain reliable projects files
§       Willingness and ability to travel and work outside regular business hours when necessary;
§       Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Usage of Internet
§       Result orientation with high level of marketing skills
§       Good knowledge of Social Media platforms and productive usage of the platforms
§       Good knowledge of project design and implementation .


Method of Application:
Send Application Letter and CV to cleen@cleen.org before 5pm on 15th April 2018. Kindly note; only shortlisted applicants would be invited for an interview.

Sunday 25 February 2018

Civil Society Observatory On The Administration Of Criminal Justice In Nigeria Takes Its Advocacy To Akwa Ibom State


The Civil Society Observatory on the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria in line with its mandate to drive advocacy and popularize the provisions of the Act among the key criminal justice stakeholders met with the officers and men of the Nigeria Police  and Nigeria Prisons Service in Akwa Ibom State as part of its activities during its just concluded 3rd Quarterly Observatory Meeting held on 22nd February, 2018.

The visits which were made to Abak Police Station, ‘D’ Division Police Station, Itam, and Ikot Ekpene Medium Prison  brought to the fore the good practices that the officers and men of the Nigeria Police  in the two Police divisions have adopted in the aspect of community policing grounded on transparency,  accountability and community engagement. The members of the Observatory were also intimated on   the daunting challenges that the Police and Prisons grapple with on a daily basis.

Commending the agencies for their exemplary work/efforts, the Observatory called on the officers and men of the Nigeria Police  and Prisons Service to make concerted efforts to familiarize themselves with their roles and responsibilities as provided in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 (ACJA) to further strengthen their work.

Not oblivious of the challenges and constraints being faced by the officers and men of the Nigeria Police  and Nigeria Prisons Service which adversely affect the full and successful implementation of the ACJA, 2015, the Observatory, therefore, makes the following recommendations:
·        the Nigerian government urgently needs to take constructive  steps  to ensure that the requisite infrastructure, equipment and capacity building required by the relevant criminal justice agencies  be put in place for  the ACJA, 2015 to work effectively.
·        the Observatory has come across a number of DPOs and other senior cadre officers who are willing and determined, against all odds, to provide professional and exemplary leadership and to ensure that they and other officers under them discharge their duties responsibly, transparently and accountably. The Nigerian government and the Police hierarchy must encourage such officers by addressing the dire funding, operational, capacity  and welfare deficits currently hampering Police effectiveness and professionalism.
·        the government  needs to urgently address the overcrowded cells in the Ikot-Ekpene Prison and the alarming number of 658 Awaiting Trial Persons(ATPs) in the 400-capacity Prison which currently holds a total of  772 inmates.
·         the Federal and State Governments in partnership with NGOs need to properly equip and fully utilize the workshops and educational facility in the Ikot-Ekpene Prison to aid the reformation of the inmates.
·        while the Observatory commends the efforts of the Akwa Ibom State Government for the domestication of the ACJA, 2015,  the State Government is urged to do all within its power to ensure that the law is properly implemented.
·        other states are, therefore, called upon to domesticate the ACJA, 2015 for the effective management of criminal justice in Nigeria.

The Observatory pledges its continued commitment to contributing towards the implementation of the ACJA, 2015 through the organization and sensitization programs on the ACJA, 2015 for the officers and men of the Nigeria Police, Prisons Service, and general public in Akwa Ibom State and Nigeria in general.

Signed:
Civil Society Observatory Group on the Implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria -
1.       Chinwike Okereke Esq, African Law Foundation(AFRILAW), Enugu State
2.       Mr. Saviour Akpan, Community Policing Partners for Justice, Security and Democratic Reforms (COMPPART),Akwa-Ibom State
3.       Henry Okereke Justice Esq, Development and Peace Makers' Centre (JDPMC), Osun State
4.       Alhaji Iskil Yusuf, Controller of Prisons (rtd), Oyo State
5.       Mr. Okey Nwanguma, Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN), Lagos State
6.       Musa Aliyu Abubakar Esq, Partnership for Development Action, Jigawa State
7.       Mr. Mbami Iliya Subka, Prison Inmate Development Initiative(PIDI), Bauchi State
8.       Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem Esq, Prisoners' Rights Advocacy Initiative(PRAI), Lagos State
9.       Mr. Tijani AbdulKareem, Socio Economic Research and Development Center (SERDEC), Kogi State
10.   Dr. Cheluchi Onyemelukwe, Academic/Independent Legal Consultant, Lagos State
11.    Kehinde Adegbite Esq, Private Legal Practitioner, Oyo State
12.   Mr. Robert Ndukwe, Locate Initiative for Missing and Exploited Persons (Locate NG), Lagos State
13.   Prof Joy Ezeilo, Women Aid Collective (WACOL) (Observatory Advisor), Enugu State
14.   Mrs. Blessing Abiri, CLEEN Foundation(Secretariat), Lagos State

Friday 23 February 2018

Call for Expression of Interest (EOI): Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response Team

Date of EOI: 23rd February, 2018

Closing Date of the EOI: 7th March 2018

Email EOI to: cleen@cleen.org

1. Purpose of Expression of Interest(EOI)

CLEEN Foundation seeks Expression of Interest (EOI) from qualified professionals to develop interventions on Sexual and Gender based Violence through trainings, engagements, meetings, and the development of new materials to address the critical issues underpinning the increase in Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Nigeria. While also taking into cognizance the new trends of Conflict Related Sexual Violence suffered by Women, Girls, Men, Boys during conflicts and crisis.

2. Background

The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) in 1948 which directed member nations to promote and protect “a number of human, civil, political, economic and social rights, asserting these rights are part of the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” A number of other measures and legislative frameworks were put in motion by the UN and member nations to protect the rights of women, girls and other vulnerable groups from Sexual and Gender Based Violence. These instruments are response to the bitter experiences women and other vulnerable persons in-conflict and post-conflict periods which include but not limited to rape, torture, forced marriage, mutilation, pregnancies, STD's/STI's etc. Sexual and Gender Based Violence refers to any act that is perpetrated against a person's will and is based on gender norms and unequal power relationships. It encompasses threats of violence and coercion. It can be physical, emotional, psychological and sexual in nature, and can take the form of denial of resources or access to services. It inflicts harm on women, girls, men and boys. In Nigeria, the war against SGBV has taken a downturn in fortunes as a result of the patriarchal and primordial nature of the society. SGBV has now become a canker worm that has eaten deep into the development and entrenchment of fundamental human rights of victims and has become a pervasive and ubiquitous problem with impunity. This is occurring against a backdrop of policy and legislative measures such as Child Rights Acts, CEDAW, Violence against persons prohibition act amongst others developed to tackle this menace, as current statistics on SGBV  shows that one woman in ten in the Niger-Delta has reported either being raped or attempted being raped. 46.5 percent of women in Africa have experienced some form of violence. This figure in Northern Nigeria shows that it is one in three women.

It is against this backdrop that experts in Sexual and Gender based Violence are needed on the CLEEN Foundation BUILD Project to deliver interventions on SGBV through trainings, engagements, meetings, and the development of new materials on addressing these issues.

3. Objective of the Engagement 
To conduct training on Sexual and Gender Based violence;
To develop new materials on addressing Sexual and Gender Based Violence in Nigeria at the demand and supply sides of the Government, relevant stakeholders and the public;
To convene and facilitate stakeholders meeting on addressing the challenges of SGBV in Nigeria;
To conduct needs assessment for the FCT Domestic and Sexual Violence response Team.

4. Scope of Work
The consultants will be responsible for the following:
Assessment of existing Structures and Services provided by relevant Government agencies, CSO's and law enforcement agents under the FCT- SGBV Response Team; in order to identify gaps, where they exist, and offer members of the team and the public better knowledge of the services provided;
Develop training materials for project beneficiaries (FCT – SGBV Response Team), CLEEN Foundation, and relevant stakeholders on methods of response to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV); 
Facilitate training programs for agencies and institutions working under the team(FCT - SGBV Response Team) especially critical agencies like the Police, Health and Legal Services;
Convene and also facilitate stakeholders  meetings with representatives of various states with existing sexual assault and referrals centers(SARC) for learning and skills sharing;
Work closely with CLEEN Foundation to produce robust advocacy and awareness IEC materials for SGBV campaign using multi-media platforms;
Drive Advocacy with relevant stakeholders in the prevention of SGBV to encourage 
compliance with the Violence against Person's prohibition Act.

5. Requirements 

All interested professionals must submit the following:

1. A Cover Letter with evidence of relevant past work experience(s)  in the area of Prevention of Sexual and Gender based violence;
2. 2 Referees conversant with the work of the professionals;
3. A recent Personal CV/Resume and at least 3 references (Individuals only)

6. Submission of Expression of Interest(EOI)

All submissions should be sent to cleen@cleen.org no later than close of business on 7th March 2018.  Interested organisations are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you have any additional questions about this Call for Expression of Interest (EOI), please email cleen@cleen.org cc ruth.okugbeni@cleen.org   No phone calls or sms please.



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Monday 29 January 2018

Call for Expression of Interest (EOI) For Experienced and Qualified Retired Senior Police Officers to Participate in Consultancy on Police Reforms in Nigeria


Date of EOI: 29 January, 2018

Closing Date of the EOI: 2 March, 2018

Email EOI to: cleen@cleen.org

1. Purpose of Expression of Interest (EOI)
CLEEN Foundation  seeks Expression of Interest (EOI) from qualified retired senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) who are experienced and possess requisite skills to be engaged as Consultants in the implementation of an ongoing Police Reform Initiative.  
2. Background
CLEEN Foundation with its partners is presently working with the NPF to improve police service delivery across Nigeria. The initiative is a national programme that aims to – improve delivery of safety and security by the NPF, strengthen internal and external accountability mechanisms, and improve coherence of security provision among and between formal and informal security actors.
It is against this background that CLEEN Foundation is seeking competent and reliable retired senior police officers resident in the thirty-six (36) stated of Nigeria to be part of a pool of policing experts that may be engaged to be part of the program team to work on specific components of the reform  initiative. Priority will be given to applications with experience in the following states - Lagos, Enugu, Kano and Abuja.  

3. Objective of the Project

To improve accountability and service delivery of the Nigeria Police Force.

4. Scope of Work

The members of the team will be required to carry out various assignments within the lifetime of the programme that would aid proper and in-depth understanding of the workings and challenges of the NPF and come up with plausible and practical recommendations and solutions to address the identified challenges.
.
5. Requirements 
All interested individuals must submit the following:
1.  A cover letter with evidence of relevant past work experience;
2.  Two referees conversant with the work of the applicant.


6. Submission of Expression of Interest (EOI)

All submissions should be sent to cleen@cleen.org no later than Friday 2nd March, 2018.


Monday 11 December 2017

Press Release GBV: Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls

Introduction
Every year, the world commemorates the global campaign to end gender based violence across the globe during the 16 days of Activism. This global action against gender based violence uses the 16 days starting from November 25th (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls) to December 10th (International Human Rights Day) to highlight the plight of women and girls facing various forms of gender based violence (GBV) within a broad framework of human rights violations and the need for all actors to scale up efforts to end all forms of human rights abuses.
The 2017 theme: Leave No One Behind: End Violence against Women and Girls is a reminder on the need to include those often neglected in our collective efforts to end GBV. Conflicts, security challenges and subsequent displacements have all brought new forms of violence against women and girls; with the peculiarity of their situation serving as potential grounds for neglect while focusing on meeting their urgent and basic humanitarian needs for food, clean water and shelter. Most often, some of these abuses emanate from trusted partners, security and justice officials who take advantage of the vulnerability of those in their protection.
In Nigeria, the need to broaden the scope and the debate on addressing gender based violence from a focus on women and girls to include men and boys finds evidence in recent rising waves of domestic violence targeted at men. The society’s expectations and gender constructions of masculinity makes the discourse more complicated as men and boys are expected to be strong even in the face of abuse. While GBV targeted at women and girls still has a premium place in view of the scale of abuse, it is imperative to put a spotlight on new issues and trends on gender based violence in our quest to collectively find ways of ending the menace.
We therefore call on justice and security institutions to provide more protection and institute preventive laws to protect persons vulnerable to violence while guaranteeing friendly and accessible means of documenting reports from survivors. We call on all State Governors to domesticate and operationalize the 2015 Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) and the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to urgently pass the proposed Gender And Equal Opportunities Bill which seeks to provide a legislation seeking to eliminate all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex and gender in public and private spaces. 
  
The 2017 theme calls on us all to leave No One Behind and end gender based violence against all persons.

CLEEN Foundation

Nigeria

Monday 20 November 2017

PRELIMINARY STATEMENT BY CLEEN FOUNDATION ON THE CONDUCT OF SECURITY AGENTS DURING THE NOVEMBER 18, 2017, GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION IN ANAMBRA STATE

PREAMBLE


Since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that the governorship election in Anambra state will hold on November 18, 2017, people within and outside of the state entertained fears about security before and during the election in the state. As the election drew closer, the apprehension became palpable against the backdrop of threat of election boycott by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), large number of political contestants, huge deployment of state security forces, and the history of godfather politics, among other factors. The governorship election held as scheduled by INEC on November 18.

SUPPORT FOR THE NOVEMBER ELECTION

Consistent with our commitment to promoting public safety, security and justice in Nigeria, the CLEEN Foundation has sustained active engagement with several critical stakeholders to ensure that the November 18 governorship election was conducted in a secure and peaceful atmosphere. CLEEN Foundation observed the November 18 governorship election in Anambra state, with specific focus on the security dimensions of the election. The mission was in furtherance of other interventions earlier made by the organization to enhance election security in the state. These include, among others, the deployment of CLEEN Foundation and INEC Electoral Institute Election Violence Mitigation Tool (EVMT), and the conduct and release of two field reports -  Situation Analysis of Security and Public Safety in Anambra State, Nigeria: Towards the November 18, 2017 Governorship Election and Security Threat Assessment for the 2017 Governorship Election in Anambra State. These interventions were geared towards making positive impact on the election landscape in general and electoral security management in particular.

FIELD OBSERVATION OF THE NOVEMBER 18 ELECTION

CLEEN Foundation trained and deployed a total of 83 persons to observe the deployment and conduct of security agents during the November 18 governorship election. Out of this number, 73 observers were deployed across the 21 LGAs of the state. They had a standardised checklist containing important questions about the deployment and conduct of security agents during the election. In addition, there were six other roving observers, whose activities covered the three Senatorial Districts. The field observers provided real-time updates and reports on the election-day in the form of voice calls, pictures and short message service (SMS) to a WhatsApp group, #CLEENSituationRoom#, from their locations. A team of four other observers operated the Call Centre, co-located with the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room. The information sharing among partner organisations in the Situation Room also enabled CLEEN Foundation to cross-check its field observations.

SECURITY DEPLOYMENT FOR THE ELECTION
Aware of the potential and real security threats to the election, the various security agencies deployed robust plans to ensure security, before, during and after the election. While the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) did not make public the number of their personnel deployed for the elections, the Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) announced plans for huge deployment of their officers. The Police had announced that it will deploy 26,000 of its personnel for the governorship election. It will also deploy Police helicopters for surveillance and aerial patrol as well as three gunboats for patrol of the waterways throughout the period of the election. Also, the NSCDC claimed it deployed 14, 000 personnel to boost the number of personnel provided by other security agencies for the governorship election.

OBSERVATIONS ON SECURITY AGENTS AND ELECTION SECURITY
There were several observations regarding the poll in general and security interventions more specifically. However, below are some of the key observations that bordered on election security;

Military Operations: Observers reported that the military maintained outposts on major routes of entrance and exit from the state. There were also reports of proper conduct of the military stationed on the major roads and locations in the state during the election. There was a reported case of arrest of three persons suspected of carrying IPOB leaflets. The suspects were arrested by the military at DNGS Roundabout, off Oguta Road, Onitsha North LGA. Overall the conduct of the military during the election was commendable

Patrol by Security Agents: There were indications, and corroborated by observers, of sustained visibility policing through ground, aerial and waterways patrol by security agencies, especially the police. The Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC) and the NSCDC also maintained visible level of ground patrol. We also noted that the Police had patrol teams that visited some polling units to ensure that voting was going on smoothly. These patrols provided the needed sense of safety and security during the election.

Deployment of Security Agents: Observers reported timely deployment of security agents to PUs, Wards, collation centres and INEC offices across most of the LGAs visited. In relation to the time security agents arrived at the polling units, the findings of the field observation showed that 18% of the security agents arrived the polling units before 7:00am, while 36% arrived between 7.00am - 7.59am. Those that arrived between 8.00am - 8.59am constituted 22% of the security agents deployed to the polling unit, while 24% of the security agents arrived their polling unit from 9:am and above. The late arrival of some of the security agents to the polling unit were partly as a result of logistics deficits and unfamiliarity with the language and terrain. In addition the field observation showed that 3 or more security agents were present at 80% of the polling units. This confirmed the large deployment of security agents for the election. The result of the field observation showed that more than half of the security agents arrived their polling units before the commencement of accreditation and voting. However, there was delayed deployment of over forty police personnel to their polling units in Nzam, Anambra West LGA, etc, due to inadequate vehicles.

Conduct of Security Agents: Observers reported sufficient demonstration of neutrality and impartiality by security agents across most polling units visited. The security agents conducted themselves in civil and  professional manner  in their dealings with the electorates. Regarding the conduct of security agents at the polling units, the findings of the field observation indicated that 38% rated the conduct as being 'very impartial' while 40% rated their conduct as 'impartial'. However, 6% rated their conduct 'somewhat impartial' and 16% rated it 'not impartial'.

Inter-Agency Collaboration: Our observers noted discernible improvement in the level of inter-agency collaboration among security agencies during the elections. The Police, Civil Defence, FRSC and others were seen working together harmoniously at the polling units, along the road and at the collation centres.

Security Incident Response: The timely identification and execution of proper response to acts or events that are capable of disrupting or undermining the peaceful conduct of polls is of crucial importance in elections security management. Observers noted that security agents were quick to respond and resolve cases of dragging of positions in voting queues, disagreements between party agents, and complaints by voters. There was prompt response to distress calls, as was the case in polling unit 005, Ward 3, Community Primary School, Amawbia in Awka South LGA, where a man was arrested by the DSS for trying to buy votes and was later released. A similar incident happened in polling unit 005, Ward 001, Ukpuwo, Nnewi South  LGA, where a woman with two voters cards was arrested by the Police for attempting to vote in another polling unit having voted with one of the cards in a nearby polling unit.

Protection of Election Integrity: Election security management is critical to the preservation of the integrity of the election. The actions or inactions of security agents do have consequences for the integrity of the election. Observers reported brazen cases of vote buying and voter inducement, involving the major political parties, in most of the polling units. These illegal acts took place often in the full glare of security agent who appeared unable or unwilling to deter such electoral offences. In most cases, security agents appeared uninterested in the act. In some cases, they made feeble attempt to drive the party agents behind the vote buying away from polling station. In few cases where they mustered courage to arrest the suspects, they usually let them go following interventions by community leaders or youth.

Welfare of Security Agents: Reports from our observers indicated that there was appreciable level of improvement in the welfare arrangement for the security agents. However there was equally isolated cases of complain by some security agents over the poor handling of their welfare, especially on their feeding, accommodation and the allowances.

INEC Logistics Setbacks: There were indications of logistics setbacks such as inadequate vehicles that contributed to delayed or late arrival of both electoral materials and personnel (permanent and adhoc staff - especially National Youth Service Corp Members). Observers equally reported cases of both temporary and complete failure of the Card Reader Machines (CRMs) in some polling units. It is noteworthy that in some cases, INEC technical team responded swiftly to rectify the problem. However at Community Primary School Ohita Ogbaru LGA, the CRM failed to work due to network failure, leading to protests by voters at the polling unit. Such incident could trigger electoral violence if poorly managed.
RECOMMENDATION
In view of the above, we recommend the following:
§         The security agencies should continue to evolve and fine-tune 'right-sized' deployment of its agents to improve elections security.
§         The Media and civil society organisations should deepen public enlightenment on the dangers of vote trading on the credibility of elections and prospect of good governance.
§         Security agents and presiding officers should show more commitment in curbing vote trading and voter inducement at the polling unit.
§         The level of inter-agency collaboration observed in the election should be sustained and improved upon in future elections.
§         The National Orientation Agency and civil society organisations should intensify the sensitisation of the citizens on the need to support security agents in the arrest and prosecution of electoral offenders.
§         The security agencies should make adequate logistics arrangements for the feeding and accommodation of the personnel on election duty, including ensuring prompt payment of their allowances.
§         The INEC should commit more technical resources to improving the functionality and reliability of the CRMs.

CONCLUSION

As widely anticipated, the governorship election in Anambra State held under tight-security with minimal security breaches. This was largely in line with the conclusion of CLEEN Foundation's Security Threat Assessment for the 2017. Overall, the conduct of security agents during the elections is commendable, especially in the discharge of their duties at the patrol bits, polling units, and collation centres. Overall, the findings of the field observation indicated that 56% rated the performance of security agents in the Anambra election 'very good' while 26% rated it 'good. However, 4% rated their performance 'fair' and another 4% rated it  'poor'. Notwithstanding, there were multiple reports of vote trading especially at the polling units, in the presence of security agents. There were also concerns about logistics and welfare of security agents which impacted on their ability to perform maximally in furtherance of the objective of election security.

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