“We Are Yet To Receive Our Provision For Transportation & Feeding” – Corp Member Who Worked As INEC Ad-Hoc Staff In Enugu North Lg Laments

My Experience As A Corp Member Who Worked As Inec Ad-hoc Staff In Enugu North Lg

I’m currently a Corp member (NYSC) serving in Enugu North LGA, we were used for the 2023 presidential election at Enugu North LGA. We had three days training before the election date. During the training, we were told provision would be made for our transportation and feeding, but we are yet to receive anything.

We were told to be present at INEC office a day before the election and that we will be sleeping at our collation center which didn’t happen. We all ended up sleeping at the INEC office.

We never knew we will be sleeping in an open air, without a roof over our head and on a MAT.

Neither did we know we will be visited by a Snake, BIG rats, spiders, BIG black ants, etc while sleeping. We almost got bitten by a snake but God safed us.

it all happened without any medical personal on ground.

Provision wasn’t made for food, not even a sachet water. we went through all this without getting 5 naira from INEC.

On the day of the presidential election, there wasn’t enough vehicles to convey us to our polling unit. Some of us got to our polling unit by 1pm, 2pm etc and almost got beaten by the angry voters who had waited for so long to cast their vote, thank God for the Reverend father who intervened on our behalf.
I’m grateful to God for a peaceful conduct in my polling unit.

After election, our buses came to pick us back to INEC office for submission of election materials.

Arriving INEC office, The INEC officials refused to collect the election materials from us. We were asked to spend another night in their office (without food and water). Some of my colleagues disagreed with them, begged them to get the materials so that they can go back to their destination which they refused.

A Corp member said to one of the officials,

i quote “please sir, why is INEC treating us like animals”

How did they expect us to return from our polling unit, with all the stress we went through at the polling unit, standing all day without food & water yet expect us to spend another night here without making any provisions for us. Not even the training/feeding allowance was given to us.

We had no option than to sleep just to secure the materials given to us since the INEC officials refused to collect the election materials that night.

I told God, if I survive this night, I will never do INEC work again. I was so hungry, tired and stressed out, I had just 200 naira with me which was supposed to be my transport (remember it’s hard to get cash in Nigeria).

How I survived till morning being Sunday 26 February 2023 is still a miracle. This incident made me conclude that hunger doesn’t kill.

As early as 5am on the 26 February, INEC officials started collecting the election materials while checking if everything was complete in the BVAS box given to us.

In conclusion, I want to appeal to you all to help us beg INEC officials in Enugu North LGA, Enugu, to please pay the Corp members they used to carry out the election and all the INEC AD-HOC STAFF here in Enugu North.

Let it be known that we the Corp members at Enugu North LGA are not going to participate in the Governorship election if we don’t receive our allowances for the presidential election.
Thank You.

The president
Corp members affair (NYSC)
ENUGU NORTH LGA.
13/03/2023

Source: Nairaland

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com