unedited

KOSOFE LG INEC OFFICE 'DUBIOUS ACT over Inec adhoc staffs training allowance payment.

I thought working for INEC as inec adhoc staff for the 2015 ongoing election would be a means of contributing my quota to this great nation and in return get a token to sustain my living as an unemployed graduate.

Am a graduate and a product of this great nation, which i also served this nation sincerely, i was even posted to Northern part of this nation during my NYSC in 2011/2012 i accepted with faith and served in North, after service i relocated to lagos unemployed, after searching for employment which all effort made was unfruitful for almost a year instead of staying and roaming the neighbourhood i enrol as an apprehentice in 2013 which i never regret anyway.

When 2015 election was approaching i saw online that inec needed adhoc staffs which i applied for, having gone through the necessary screening and documention i attended the training with other inec adhoc staffs (Govt workers, Students and Ex-Corpers like me) the training went on for four days. After the training we were asked to come and check our names on the list to know the ward and units where we would be working, a day preceding the election we were all present at the local govt: corpers, ex-corpers, govt. workers and students just to check our names but to my suprise only 3 lists was pasted as at 12noon while the place was crowded already with employed and unemployed people who are ready to work. As at 3pm another list was pasted which was not easy to read, it was handwritting not bold enough i couldnt imagine it 'in this IT world and the worst of all the crowd was much with people who were deperate furious and eager to check their names even fighting one another. We all stayed there till 10pm waiting for other list to be pasted finally the last set of list was pasted around 11pm which cause more chaos among the adhoc staffs, people sweating profusely fighting and struggling in other to check names, fortunately a friend found my name on d last list while i almost lost hope, i was happy and forcefully find my way in amidst the crowd with my friend while he show me my name on the list, it was around past 12am which was the presidential election day. All necessary registration took place that early morning everyone was stress out yet no time to relax, we all loaded the inec election materials in vehicle for each wards everyone was extremely stressed out. The vehicle started conveying people to their different RAC center around 3-5am, few people were able to manage the school environment and sleep on the classroom desks some on the ground.

Around 7am we were ready to move to our pooling units but materials are not yet ready around 9:30am we were still there waiting for materials, i called a friend from another local government to confirm what was happening 'he said he is at his polling unit about to start accreditation while we were all at the RAC center waiting for materials to be distributed till around 11am. At about 1:45pm it was my units turn to collect materials when my team was given the materials we checked and discovered some items and document missing, we were told to just go and start the accreditation with the materials we were having at hand with promised that other materials would be conveyed to us which was never brought to us.

We got to the polling unit around after 2, the people were eagerly ready to be accredited and vote at the same time they were angry at us for coming late all standing at their street junction despite being angry with us they still run happily along with our yellow buss as we locate the house we were to use in that street. After arranging our materials we show our sincere apology and pleaded that we would do our best and make sure dey were all accredited. Without eating we work effortlessly and finished the election around 10pm it was those same people that were initially angry at us that gave each of us one gala and a plastic bottle drink, as if they knew we were seriously hungry with happiness we ate it. We got to the RAC center around 11pm to return all the materials we submitted the result and other materials and even slept on desk till the next day before going to our various home.

When it was time to collect our training allowance N9500 at kosofe LG inec office some were opportuned to collect their training allowance on April 2nd while others which i was one of them, were being told that the money at hand was not enough that we should come back on the 7th of april by 9am for our payment, despite all the stress we went through on the 2nd of april from morning to around 7pm we agreed to come back on 7th of April.

When it was on the 7th of april as usual some were at kosofe LG inec office before 9am in other to be the first on the queue so as to get paid on time and move on with their life, when i got there i met more people waiting for their payment. When it was past 12noon some of the SPOs started giving money according to ward while some wards are yet to start paying, my ward and other wards were told that the EO (electoral officer) in charge of our money is yet to come. We waited till 2pm, when the EO eventually came she address everyone and her delegates pass it across to us that she want everyone to improve the standard of work during the next coming election on the 11th of April without them asking or getting feedback from adhoc staffs on challenges we encountered during the presidential election in other for them too to know the areas they need to work on for us all to perform excellently in the coming election. We were all assured that we would be paid while she went to bank to collect money around past 3pm, we all waited for her to return. she finally came with the money past 4, everyones countenance changed from frowning to smiling, while we were asked to wait as the officials went in and distribute the money to be paid to each SPOs, as at 6pm we were many on the queue only for the SPO to come out with just N100,000 which will only pay 10 people but people on the queue were more than 50 in number, we were told all kind of story that the money at hand was not enough to pay everyone which wasnt fair enough they saw the crowd before going to bank and after coming from bank we were fed with stories that the money was not enough. Around 7pm some people were fraustrated and were desperate to cause chaos after staying in the sun and in the rain that same day just to collect our training allowance which other local Govt had already paid their adhoc staffs, people started throwing things around and the officials run into their officies after some minutes of violent act by graduates and students due to fraustration of not being paid their due training allowance, the inec officials at kosofe local govt. came and pleaded that they will definitely pay everyone on the 8th of April. We were told to come back as usual not even considering the fact that we spend money on transport and waste our prescious time waiting at the Local Govt all day for training allowance.

It baffles me when i heard from people who had worked under the same kosofe Local Govt. as inec adhoc staffs in preceding elections that it was the same thing that happened during the time they were supposed to be paid too, it has become the habbit of Kosofe Local Government not to pay inec adhoc staffs their money after working for them.


If i dont say this out it would still repeat itself, it will be my utmost pleasure if the right people can see into this matter.

Am yet to collect my own money,i wonder if we will get our money for the elections.Kosofe lg it is well