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2023 Election: INEC takes delivery of over 300,000 PVCs in Plateau

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Road to the 2023 general elections – the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC on Monday delivered another batch of PVCs totaling 362, 465 which belong to newly registered voters as well as cases of transfers and replacements in Plateau State for onward distribution to the owners from the 12th December 2022.

The Commission had earlier delivered four trailer loads of non-sensitive materials to the State office, as the State is set to before the end of the week also receive its share of BVAS which is now the most critical component of the elections.

The State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Oliver Agundu who disclosed these to journalists in Jos stated politicians should intensify efforts to campaign for votes in line with the electoral acts as he has no influence whatsoever on the outcome of the elections.

Agundu promised transparency and fairness to all political parties and urged citizens to ensure they come out en masse to collect their PVCs.

His words, “… Ours is an institution whose key operational principles revolve around openness, transparency, integrity, credibility, and fairness which can only be engendered by inaccessibility to relevant operational information and our readiness at all times to keep the public abreast with our activities and plans which can only be made possible by the media.

“Our meeting today is to inform you formally of my assumption of duty as the new Resident Electoral Commissioner of Plateau State and humbly solicit your support and partnership so that I can deliver on the core mandate of my job. This humble request is imperative because of the unpredictable implications of fake news and false reportage in our increasingly volatile environment and the increasing tendency towards mutual suspicion…

“I have enlisted the commitment of all staff of the Commission here in Plateau State to my vision and mission of anchoring the most transparent and credible election in the history of the State. Be informed that two weeks ago we took delivery of four Trailer loads of Non – Sensitive materials… we have just concluded the preliminary display of the Voters Registers for complaints and objections to enable the Commission to clean up the Register as we anticipate having a credible and dependable Register for Next year’s general elections.

“At the moment such complaints and objections have been received and compiled for onward transmission to the National Headquarters for the commencement of the clean-up exercise Let me be clear that the Commission is committed to purge the Voters Register of the under aged, illegal immigrants and all categories of persons not constitutionally permitted by our laws to vote and be voted for.”

He added, “The response of the public towards the collection of PVCs is generally very poor. But with our renewed commitment to advocacy and campaigns in this regard, there is a remarkable improvement. However, more efforts need to be done in this regard so that people can come forward and collect their PVCs and get ready for voting the candidates of their choice come next year.

“We, therefore, call on all of you to help amplify the importance of PVC collection by redoubling your efforts in creating awareness and sensitization in this regard for obvious reasons, we have just taken delivery of another batch of PVCs totaling Three hundred and sixty two thousand, four hundred and sixty-five (362, 465) of those that registered newly this year as well as cases of transfers and replacements.

“There shabe by nationwide commencement of PVCs collection on Monday 12th December 2022 to Monday, 23rd January 2023 at the headquarters of the 774 local government Areas. The Commission has also announced that PVC collections will be devolved to 8,809 Registrations Areas/Wards from Friday 6th to Sunday 15th January 2023. I hereby invite you once again to help us create awareness in this regard especially here in Plateau State

“Before the end of the week, we shall be receiving the Plateau share of BVAS which is now the most critical component of our electoral system. Let me also bring to your notice that there is no going back on the use of BVAS for the 2023 general election. Candidates should not deceive themselves but concentrate their energy on campaigns, within the provisions of the electoral act to canvass for votes, as everything will be transparent and in fairness to all parties…”

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Google adds Nano Banana-powered image generation to Gemini’s Personal Intelligence

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Google on Thursday announced that Gemini’s Personal Intelligence feature will get Nano Banana-powered image generation to create images with personalized context.

That means its AI images can be created using Gemini’s understanding of your likes and interests, without those having to be explicitly noted in the prompt.

This works because Gemini already has context of your data through Google account connections, such as Gmail and Google Photos. So, instead of typing “Generate an image of my dream home, my interests are tennis and music,” you can now just say, “Design my dream home.” 

Image Credits:Google

What’s more, the Nano Banana-powered connection can also use the labels in your Google Photos, so that it understands names and words that describe a group, like “Family”. For instance, you can create an image by saying, “Generate an image of my family and me doing our favorite activity.”

The company said the “sources” button will show how Gemini derived the context for image generation.

Image Credits:Google

Google said that just like other connections, Gemini might get the context wrong, and you can provide feedback. Plus, you can also provide reference photos for image generation by clicking the “+” icon.

The image generation feature will be available to Plus, Pro, and Ultra subscribers in the U.S. within the coming days. Google plans to bring the feature to Gemini in Chrome desktop and to other users soon.

Google first launched Personal Intelligence earlier this year and made it available to all U.S. users in March. Earlier this week, the company expanded the feature to more users in countries like India and Japan.

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JUST IN: FG Graduates 744 Repentant Terrorists After Rehabilitation Programme

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No fewer than 744 former terrorists and victims of violent extremism on Thursday graduated from the Federal Government’s De-radicalisation, Rehabilitation and Reintegration programme under Operation Safe Corridor.

A breakdown of the graduates shows that two are from Abia State, 10 from Adamawa State, one from Akwa Ibom State, two from Anambra State, 12 from Bauchi State, 597 from Borno State, three from Ebonyi State, one from Enugu State, 15 from Kano State, three from Katsina State, one from Kebbi State, five from Kogi State, four from Nasarawa State, two from Niger State, two from Plateau State, two from Sokoto State, and 58 from Yobe State.

The participants also include foreign nationals: one from Burkina Faso, one from Cameroon, two from Chad, and four from the Niger Republic.

In terms of religion, 733 of the graduates are Muslims, while 11 are Christians.

Speaking at the ceremony in Gombe, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, said the initiative is not a reward for violence but a strategic tool to counter extremism.

Represented by the Director of Special Operations Forces at Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Kabiru Tanimu, he said the programme addresses the human dimension of insurgency and supports long-term peacebuilding.

He added that while military operations remain necessary to neutralise threats, sustainable peace depends on rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.

Oluyede stressed that Operation Safe Corridor is not an amnesty programme, but a structured intervention aimed at reducing violence, weakening extremist recruitment, and promoting stability.

He urged the graduates to embrace a new path, warning against a return to violence, and encouraged them to contribute positively to society.

According to him, successful reintegration requires support from state governments, communities, families, and institutions.

Earlier, the Coordinator of Operation Safe Corridor, Brig. Gen. Yusuf Ali, said the programme was designed as a strategic response to insurgency, combining security operations with rehabilitation efforts.

He explained that participants underwent psychosocial support, vocational training, religious reorientation, civic education, and behavioural transformation.

Ali noted that many beneficiaries were victims of coercion and forced recruitment, adding that the programme gives them an opportunity to rebuild their lives and reintegrate into society as responsible citizens.

He emphasised that reintegration is a shared responsibility requiring community acceptance and institutional support.

The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Yahaya, represented by his aide, urged the graduates to embrace the opportunity for a fresh start and become productive members of society.

He said the programme reflects the Federal Government’s commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to peacebuilding, de-radicalisation, and reintegration efforts.

The graduation highlights Nigeria’s continued shift towards combining military operations with non-kinetic strategies in addressing insurgency, particularly in the North-East, as part of broader efforts to reduce recidivism and promote long-term stability.

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