Election: We’ll give automatic employment to exceptional corps members, says INEC chairman

Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has promised automatic employment for corps members who do well on election duty.

Speaking at the daily briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the INEC chairman said the commission will definitely reward excellence in the conduct of this year’s elections.

Responding to questions on the welfare of corps members seen sleeping on the floor the night before the postpones elections, Yakubu said he has spoken to the director general of the National Youth Service Commission (NYSC) on how to improve the wellbeing of the corps members.

“The youth corps members are among the most educated, most reliable, most patriotic, and most readily available ad-hoc staff we have… so we don’t joke with the wellbeing of corps members,” Yakubu said.

“Arising from my interaction with DG NYSC yesterday, they are looking at how they can mobilise mattresses, used by the youth corps members in camp to places where the youth corps members are going to stay the night so that the layover before we open the polling units on Saturday can be more comfortable for them.

“I am waiting for the DG NYSC to submit the details to the commission, but I want to assure you that anything that the commission can do to make the corps members comfortable, and all other staff, including their welfare and security, we will do.”

AUTOMATIC EMPLOYMENT

The professor also promised automatic employment for corps members who do exceptionally well in the delivery of their election duties.

“Those who do exceptionally well during elections are accorded automatic employment by the commission. We would continue to improve on the welfare of corps members during elections and do whatever we can to protect them in the course of election duty.

He added that the commission has been working with the security agencies to provide protection even at the corper’s lodges across the nation.

He said in the past, these lodges were raided when the corps members were not around, and stole their personal effects.