A scenario played out at about 12 midnight – the night after the presidential election was held – at a polling unit at Salvation Army Middle School, Alekuwodo, Osogbo, Osun State when our correspondent and other journalists visited.

Tired, hungry and worn out, the corps members apparently felt the crew had arrived to supply them some meals. But that was far from it.

When they saw that their expectation was not met, they fumed, “You didn’t give us food and water since morning, now you are coming to shoot our photos and videos, please get out of here before we smash your cameras,” apparently transferring their aggression on the crew.

Their action was understandable – they felt their welfare as ad hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission in the election was not given due attention.

Maybe they were right, after all.

Their colleagues at the collation office at Laro Grammar School, Osogbo were almost stumbled upon in the dark as they laid their weary heads on the ground. An expression of extreme tiredness beclouded their faces.

“Don’t step on me, please,” one of them yelled and quickly awoke to avoid being trampled upon by his colleagues and INEC officials who were just arriving at the centre. It was past 1am.

Before the commencement of the general elections, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi, in partnership with INEC, had assured that the commission had put in place a foolproof strategy to guarantee the welfare and safety of corps members taking part in the exercise.

To fulfill the promise, the Corps Welfare and Inspectorate Department was inaugurated, a department whose functions include handling matters relating to the NYSC and INEC collaborations and any other ad hoc national duties.

However, for the about 134,000 youth corps members who participated in the election across the country, some of them who spoke with Saturday PUNCH complained of their welfare not being seriously taken into consideration.

Twenty-four hours of intense working at his polling unit, one of the corps members, who simply gave his name as Kunle because they were not authorised to speak with the media, said he was frustrated at the ill-treatment meted out to them.

He said, “We were given no food, no water and I broke my back. Up till now, I have not recovered from the pain. The crux of the matter was when the voting exercise had finished and we had to collate everything. By then, it was dark and there was no light to see what we were doing.

“We had to resort to using our phones to see and it was not easy. I enjoyed playing a part in the election but I am also frustrated because our welfare was not seriously taken care of. Imagine sleeping on bare ground at the collation centre because no provision was made for our accommodation. It was not an easy experience.”

Kunle, a 2014 Batch B corps member, was right on every count. On the midnight our correspondent visited the collation centre, many of them were seen using broken tables and chairs to lay their heads in the cold after what they described as a stressful day; some others slept on plastic chairs while a few others couldn’t even sleep because of the harsh condition and the mosquitoes that flew by.

The collation centre could best be described as a refugee camp.

Another corps member who took part in the election, simply identified as Chidinma, said she couldn’t envisage what the situation would be like when she applied for the job. She said she had never slept in the open until that night.

She said, “By the time my colleagues and I finished the whole exercise, it was past 11pm and there were no vehicles to take us home. I thought they could have provided transportation for us, but nobody did. The officials just didn’t care and we were made to sleep at the collation centre. It was not a palatable experience for me.

“I had nothing to eat except for snacks. I was just praying that nothing bad would happen to me because I have ulcer. I had to fight with a colleague to get somewhere to lay on the ground to rest. But for the service to my country, I wouldn’t say the pain was worth the N20,000 or so that we would be paid because if you look at the situation, some of us would fall sick or buy drugs from a part of the money. Little would be left after that.”

If they knew they would be subjected to such a terrible condition, some of them might have compromised and involved in manipulating the electoral process at their various polling units, a Lagos-based lawyer and social commentator, Bisoye Odubona, opined.

He said that given the fact that they don’t know much about the terrain of the states where they work, some politicians could have easily induced them with money and they could have done their bidding.

He said, “These are the things we need to watch out for in our next elections. Everyone that will take part in the exercise must be adequately provided for. Imagine if such were induced by any politician, if they were greedy, they could have played a part in manipulating the process. Food and water could have been provided for them; they shouldn’t have slept on bare floors in the cold after the exercise; the commission should have prepared for their transportation back to their lodges or homes. It was not proper.

“Apart from their welfare, their safety could also have been well considered. As for me, I still don’t believe the election was totally credible, though it fared better than previous ones due to the card reader technology used. But all the same, there were malpractices. For instance, there were some northern states where we were told there were underage voters, these corps members wouldn’t have dared not to accredit them because it’s a place they’re not familiar with. They could have laid ambush for them if they refused to do anything they wanted.

“Remember that after the 2011 election, there was violence and some corps members were killed; this year’s also, I learned that two corps members died in Bauchi. It was unfortunate, but that’s an indication that their safety was not well provided for. These people should be taken proper care of next time.”

A psychologist from Rivers State, Mr. Peter Dickson, however, described the corps members’ experiences as sacrificial rather than terrible. He told Saturday PUNCH on the telephone that the experience was necessary for the foundation of a new dawn in the country.

“They should count themselves lucky that they were part of a future of Nigeria. It’s not easy but they have played a good part, they should be happy. Their sacrifice would always be compensated either now or later. I pity them, though and I support that both INEC and NYSC should have given them proper care,” he said.

The corps members in Osogbo couldn’t have been the only ones who felt they were not taken care of.

Bibi, who performed the exercise in Jalingo, Taraba State, told our correspondent on the telephone that although it was a memorable experience, it was not a palatable one. “I didn’t count the cost very well. We were shouted upon by some of the INEC officials as if we were kids and transportation was not even provided for us. It was too dark when voting and collation ended and we had to rest our heads on desks – on empty stomachs,” she complained.

“All these issues should be looked into and avoided next time. Corps members are the children of Nigeria, not slaves and should be treated well next time. The partnership between NYSC and INEC is a good one and so the two bodies should work together to seeking the adequate welfare for these people next time to avoid complaints like these,” an Abuja-based political analyst, Jide Oluyemi, commented.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/election-special/hard-labour-inec-ad-hoc-corps-members-sleep-on-bare-floor/

Service for the nation.

Its the same over here, serving with humility and selflessness

D suffering no be small

My own case was the same sleeping in collation center without anything, no food, but the most painful aspect of it is that, the money received from Inec since the whole process was 5000 even training allowance we didn't received, but we spent transport on training. Its causing us more pains. Ika North/East LGA Corper in Delta state

I have decided not to be part of April 11 polls officiating. I can't kill myself.

emmydollars4life:
My own case was the same sleeping in collation center without anything, no food, but the most painful aspect of it is that, the money received from Inec since the whole process was 5000 even training allowance we didn't received, but we spent transport on training. Its causing us more pains. Ika North/East LGA Corper in Delta state

That's very bad. How much is the election pay itself?

jesutekome:
I have decided not to be part of April 11 polls officiating. I can't kill myself.

After taking part in the presidential? Meaning u want to forfeit your money. Just do it, your reward awaits you in the future