Anambra: NYSC, INEC at war over election duty allowances

The Anambra State chapter of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has directed corps members on electoral duties during the 2019 general elections who are yet to receive their allowances to forward their names to its secretariat.

The Coordinator of National Youth Service Corps in the state, Mr Kehinde Aremu, gave the directive while addressing some corps members in Awka on Tuesday.

Aremu said the directive became necessary following a letter from the Independent National Electoral Commission, Anambra office, which claimed that the commission had paid all corps members who worked as ad-hoc staff during the elections.

However, it could be  recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission engaged corps members as ad hoc staff during the February 23 and March 9 general elections.

Some of them, however, staged a protested at the INEC Headquarters in Awka last week, alleging non-payment or incomplete payment of their allowances for the election duties.

The NYSC coordinator said that the issue had resulted in a quarrel between officials of the two agencies in the state.

He said that he was determined to ensure that corps members engaged for the electoral duties were not denied their allowances.

Aremu blamed the problem on INEC’s insistence to handle the deployment of NYSC members to polling units rather than allow the scheme to manage the process.

“You were trained by them, deployed by them, but let me assure you, I will never be part of the plot to defraud you.

“I know many of you were not paid and based on that, I have written to INEC again and again but they have replied me with a stinker, saying I am blackmailing INEC.

“In their letter to me, INEC said they have paid all of you who worked as ad hoc staff during the elections,” the coordinator said.

Aremu however, said he had received list of those affected in four Local Government Areas and urged the NYSC Local Government Inspectors in the remaining ones to forward the list of those affected in their areas.

He warned corps members who were deployed but did not report to the polling units or substituted with other persons not to embarrass themselves and the NYSC by including their names.

“What I have done is to ask all local government inspectors to collate the list of everyone who was deployed and who worked during the election so that I can write them again with strong evidence.

“I already have report of those that have not been paid in four out of the 21 council areas; so, I call on the rest to come up with their reports.”

Contacted, Mr Leo Nkedife, Head, Voter Education and Publicity, INEC, Awka, said the NYSC members that protested were those whose names did not tally with the account details they forwarded to the commission.

Nkedife, however, said that the last batch of the affected corps members would be paid on Tuesday.