By Adekunle Williams
Lagos – The Chairman, Mushin Local Government Council of Lagos State, Mr Emmanuel Bamgboye, has advised the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) not to engage corps members as ad hoc staff in subsequent elections.
Bamgboye gave the advice while speaking with newsmen at the Mushin local government secretariat in Lagos on Saturday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of the NYSC deployed to serve as INEC staff in the Mushin Local Government had protested the alleged non-payment of their allowances by the commission in the early hours on Saturday.
The chairman said that the `unnecessary protest’ that occurred in the early hours of Saturday’s Governorship and House of Assembly elections led to the delay in the distribution of election materials in the local government area.
“In subsequent elections, I will seriously appeal to INEC that they should prepare very well and there should not be a fire brigade approach.
“Most importantly, in subsequent elections, I will advise INEC not to use corps members because most of them are inexperienced.
“Some of them cannot write figures very well, while most of them are not capable and they have not been exposed to this type of election duty previously,’’ he said.
The chairman said INEC should always engage teachers and civil servants as ad hoc staff for subsequent elections in the country.
Bamgboye said the teachers were very conversant with writing and know the principles of conducting an election in an orderly manner.
“Election is a national call and a national service but the youth corps members do not see it that way because they are still very young and are not particularly conversant with figures.
“There were late arrival of materials today because of the protests at the various collation centres in the state,’’ he said.
Bamgboye noted that the governorship and the house of assembly elections had been peaceful so far in some places.
He, however, said voter apathy was widespread in most of the polling units in the local government area.
According to him, generally, there was voter apathy in most of the polling units but many still come out to cast their votes.
Bamgboye attributed lack of voter education as one of the factors responsible for the voter apathy that was witnessed in the elections.
“This is the time for us to choose our leaders for the next four years and if the electorate refuses to come out to vote, how can they complain of bad governance,’’ he said. (NAN)