As Nigerians react to the postponement of the general elections, some have also called for better treatment of corps members participating in the elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) came under major criticism when images showing the corps members in distressing conditions – cramped together, sleeping out in the open and more, along with harrowing posts of negligence, surfaced online.
As the criticism grew, spurning thousands of tweets and a global trend on microblogging platform, Twitter, INEC met with stakeholders for talks about its last-minute decision to postpone the polls.
Read Also: ‘We Don’t Take Ad-Hoc Staff For Granted’, INEC Reacts To Criticism Over Corps Members
See some of the comments below.
INEC DON’T RATE CORPERS
NYSC DON’T RATE CORPERS#CorpersNotSlave pic.twitter.com/jpBlxUKApJ— Abuja Minister – LLB, B.L,BBM, MG (@Sir_BiolaPr) February 16, 2019
Oh god I’ve suffered this night. We’re all just sitting out here, no accommodation, we haven’t even seen any INEC official. No sleep. And we’re supposed to function all through tomorrow.
Remind again why I decided to participate in this NYSC/INEC kini
— Kẹ́mi (@kemifalodun) February 15, 2019
Kudos to all the NYSC folks used as ad-hoc staff for this election. Most of them slept in classrooms and open air without any security or care in the world from those who ‘employed’ them. Y’all all the real heros and heroines of our democracy. God bless you. #elections2019
— Dr. Dípò | The Career🔌 (@OgbeniDipo) February 16, 2019
The NYSC should stop allowing corp members to be used as adhoc staff if there is zero provision for their welfare and accomodation really.
— Osikhena Dirisu (@Osi_Suave) February 16, 2019
They wanted cheap labour. There is no where in the NYSC bye – law that makes it compulsory for corpers to be part of the election. Point me to it if you can.
That being said.
BE WISE
INEC doesn’t care about you.
NYSC doesn’t care about you
Nigeria doesn’t care about you
— Ozi.😌 (@Xymbiz) February 16, 2019
Shame on the DG of NYSC for allowing our corpers to be treated like animals by INEC. No provision for their welfare and billions of naira was appropriated for these elections. Mahmood Yakubu should better fix it before the new day of election. RT for the corpers. pic.twitter.com/6nivxcy1WH
— paul (@ifaorumhe) February 16, 2019
At the forum, amid a flurry of criticism by political parties and queries by stakeholders, the issue of the experience of corps members came up.
But the Chairman of the Commission, Mahmood Yakubu, explained that it was customary for INEC ad-hoc staff to stay at rack centres the night before the elections.
According to him, this would enable them to receive all the materials necessary for the exercise the following day.
He further explained that the facilities used across the states, did not belong to the Commission and were only utilised once every four years.
The INEC boss, however, stated that elections would not be conducted successfully without the help of the ad-hoc staff, hence, the Commission does not take them for granted.
While explaining that it has, in some areas, made provisions to make the centres more comfortable, Yakubu said the Commission would continue to do its best to provide comfort for the staff.