The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, has approved the sum of N279.5 million for the production of ballot papers for the next local government election.
The fund will be used to print 2.6 million customised ballot papers, in preparation for the forthcoming local government election slated for May 15 in the state.
This was disclosed to journalists on Wednesday by the state’s commissioner of information, Wasiu Olatunbosun, in Ibadan.
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The papers are said to be produced by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC).
“The council approved the production of ballot papers to be used for the forthcoming local government election, which is scheduled to hold on May 15, 2021. The production is directly awarded to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company,” the commissioner said.
“We did this to show how serious and transparent we are and how prepared this administration is towards the forthcoming election. We are giving the contract for the production out to a reputable printing company known for printing of security materials.
“In the past elections in the state, they made use of the government printing press. But this time around, we want a third party to handle these sensitive materials so that nobody will have access to the ballot papers.
“We are producing 2.6 million customized ballot papers at the rate of one hundred naira per sheet and if you multiply one hundred naira by 2.6 million naira, it gives you two hundred and sixty million naira.
“VAT and others included, N19.5 million; total when you add it together, it gives you N279.5 million,” the commissioner said.
