Andrew Mamedu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, has highlighted the offline capabilities of IREV technology, stressing that this key feature remains under-communicated to Nigerians.
Speaking during an interview with the African Independent Television (AIT), Mamedu said technology issues such as network connectivity shouldn’t prevent stakeholders and citizens from using or benefiting from IREV. According to him, the system’s design allows users to record and store data even without internet access, ensuring that critical information can still be captured at the point of collection and later transmitted when a connection becomes available.
According to him, “There’ll always be challenges or problems; it’s for us to identify them. And guess what? This IREV technology has got the capacity to work offline; I think that’s one thing we’re forgetting to tell Nigerians. So like my phone, if I’m in a place that does stop me from using WhatsApp, whether I have technology or not, I can write my message and my emails. I can write my message whether I have a network or not, but once I get connected to a network, that message gets transmitted. But the IREV even has the higher version. It means that once you take a record and you snap the result, which you’re supposed to, and you upload it, it is stored in its memory, and you can no longer tamper with it.”
Mamedu explained that the offline function is crucial for areas with poor connectivity, noting that it works similarly to common mobile phone applications where content drafted offline is later sent when a signal returns.
He further urged electoral bodies and civic technology advocates to better educate Nigerians on IREV’s full capabilities, especially its strength in supporting transparency and data integrity during elections.
