INEC AND BENUE AD HOC STAFF

According to information I have gathered through different sources, the ad hoc staff of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benue State have been cheated as the money supposed to be paid to them for their participation in the elections is being deducted by the officials of INEC in the state.

During my telephone conversation with one of the ad hoc staff from Benue State, who does not want his name mentioned, he said that inthe three days training they underwent before subsequent trainings, they were given N1, 500 while other places like Abuja, the ad-hoc staff were given N4,500. He furthered explained that the information they have received from some of the INEC officials in the state clearly showed that they will be given only N9, 000 after the elections, which is not enough for all the suffering they went through because of the general elections.

After my investigation on the allowances of the ad hoc staff, I took my time to interact with some of the ad hoc staff from other states and Abuja, through telephone chat and I was able to discover that the payment to INEC’s ad hoc staff is not uniformed; meaning, ad hoc staff from some states are receiving more than others in other states. Like in Nasarawa State, ad-hoc staff received N3,500 for the same training where Benue ad-hoc staff were given only N1, 500. Looking at the whole thing, one has to admit that Benue ad hoc staff are the ones being treated badly.

Let me call on the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega to intervene in this unfair treatment of Benue ad hoc staffers. Awunah Pius Terwase, Benue State University, Makurdi