No fewer than a hundred and fifty (150) ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have marched to the INEC premises in Anambra State, protesting the non-payment of allowances owed them for work done during the 2023 General Elections.
The protesters, armed with placards, gathered at the INEC headquarters in Awka, the State capital, on Tuesday demanding the immediate release of their long-overdue payments.
Displaying placards that bore messages such as “Pay us our money,” “INEC, you cannot eat our money,” and “Labourers are worth their wages,” the disgruntled ad hoc staff expressed their frustration at the commission’s failure to honour their financial obligations.
The agitation escalated as they chanted derogatory songs directed at the INEC, effectively blocking the entrance and exit gates of the commission and barring most vehicles from accessing the premises.
One of the protesters, who spoke to Voice of Nigeria anonymously due to fear of reprisal, highlighted their grievances:
“We were only paid a paltry sum of N3,000 as a feeding allowance on the day of the elections, while the remaining N14,000 per person for both the presidential and national assembly elections as well as the State House of Assembly election, remains unpaid.”
The protester further revealed that the INEC officials had attributed the delay in payment to banking issues, requesting the submission of alternative bank account details. However, despite complying with the request, the ad hoc staff have not received their outstanding allowances.
The protester emphasized the risks and sacrifices made by the staff during the elections and expressed disappointment at the commission’s failure to fulfill its financial obligations:
“We are over 300 individuals who have not received our allowances.
“All we are asking for is that INEC honours the agreement to pay us. It is disheartening that in Nigeria people can work diligently and still not receive their rightful compensation.”
The protesters called upon the appropriate authorities to intervene in the matter and ensure prompt payment of their outstanding allowances.
When contacted on the issue, the Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Dr. Queen-Elizabeth Agwu, however, said those recruited by the commission to work as ad hoc staff in the last general elections have been paid.
Dr. Agwu claimed that the protest was politically motivated and explained that majority of the protesters were self-recruited.
“Those recruited by the INEC have been paid, while those who have not been paid, but have issues with the details they supplied, have been asked to resubmit their exact details for payment,” she noted.
Amaka E. Nliam
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