INEC TO GUARANTEE SECURITY AND WELFARE OF CORPS MEMBERS

 

 

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has pledged the Commission’s commitment towards ensuring that National Youth Service Corps Members (NYSC), who volunteer as ad-hoc staff in the February 2015 polls, discharge their responsibilities in a secure, conducive environment and that their welfare needs are adequately met.

 

The INEC Chairman made the Commission’s stand known, when he received the Director General of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC), Brig. General Johnson Olawumi at the Commission’s headquarters yesterday.

 

Professor Jega noted that the participation of Corps members in the electoral process since 2011 has “tremendously lifted the quality, the integrity and professionalism with which elections are conducted in this country.  He said: “We cannot do enough to secure the young men and women of the NYSC, and to attend to their welfare needs as they do this very crucial national service. I assure you that all hands are on deck to ensure that they have a conducive environment for participation in the electoral activities in February this year”.

 

He added, “I would like to reassure the Director General, members of your delegation as well as the young men and women who have volunteered to do this national service that we will leave no stone unturned to ensure they have a very conducive and secure environment for the discharge of the responsibilities expected of them”.

 

Professor Jega explained that even though participation by corps members is voluntary, it is part of the national service that they are doing for this country, stressing that: “we all have an obligation to ensure that we minimize the challenges they face and we protect them adequately and we cater for their welfare as they participate in this scheme”.

 

He used the opportunity to call on all stakeholders particularly politicians and candidates of political parties to join hands with INEC and the NYSC to guarantee the safety of those who participate in election duties and particularly the young men and women of the NYSC who form the bulk of those who do election duty during this coming election.

 

Earlier in his remarks, the NYSC Director General intimated the leadership of the Commission about the set up of an Election Security Committee, comprising officials of the NYSC, Army and all the other security agencies, saddled with the responsibility of reviewing NYSC participation in recent elections and also the report of the post 2011 election violence.

 

He said the Committee came up with wide range of recommendations, bordering on the conduct of Corps members during elections and more importantly their safety and security which has been put together, made into requirements and forwarded to INEC.

 

The NYSC DG appreciated the cooperation the scheme has enjoyed with the INEC headquarters, and urged that the same level of cooperation be extended at the state level between NYSC state coordinators and Resident Electoral Commissioners