The Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) said it would require no fewer than 750,000
ad hoc staff to conduct the general elections across
the country.
Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to Chairman
of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
, disclosed this in an interview with NAN on
Wednesday in Abuja.
Idowu said that the commission was currently
rounding off the recruitment of the ad hoc staff
nationwide.
“Getting that number is not an easy task, but the
recruitment is nearly concluded, except in isolated
places where we still need to make up with the
number.”
He said that applications for the recruitment were
conducted via online, adding the commission also
recruited former members of the National Youth
Service Corps (NYSC) who had ‘’excellent and
credible records’’ in previous elections.
He explained that the resort to former NYSC
members was because the corps could not provide all
the needed personnel from current members in the
scheme.
Idowu added that INEC was also considering
recruiting third-year students of tertiary institutions
to meet the needed number.
He disclosed that the training of “master trainers”
among the ad hoc staff, who would train the others,
had commenced.
He explained that the commission preferred NYSC
members as ad hoc staff for the conduct of elections
to avoid the experiences of the past where election
workers compromised.
“When civil servants were being used, the general
tendency was that if you employ the service of civil
servants of state government, they had their jobs to
protect.
“If they are threatened, they could compromise
easily, but in the case of youth corps members, they
are on national duty.
“They are neither familiar with the terrain nor
stakeholders in the environment they operate.
“They also have their certificates to collect and that
is why their engagement is through a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with NYSC.
“If the corps members or students in the exercise
compromise, sanction await them because they are
still within a system and under a country,” he said.
Idowu, however, stated that no NYSC member on
election duty had been sanctioned, revealing that
they had so far maintained credible records.
Source :PM News
http://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2015/01/22/inec-requires-750000-ad-hoc-staff-for-elections/

More than that have applied already. No qualms.