Jumbo pay tears electoral commission apart

INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega
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THE disparity in the election allowances paid to different categories of employees in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission is currently tearing the commission apart.

While some members of the RSIEC staff were allegedly paid N84,000 each for the two council elections held in Oyigbo and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas as election hazard/duty allowances, others got N980,000 each for the same elections.

The development made aggrieved workers in the commission accuse the management of short-changing employees on the lower cadre.

One of the aggrieved persons, who preferred anonymity to avoid victimisation, alleged that though the sum of N70,000 was proposed as hazard allowance for one election, they eventually got N42,000.

The source added that even if they got N140,000 each for the two elections, the amount was still a far cry from the N980,000 each paid to chief security officers, confidential secretaries and others.

He alleged that the disparity was an indication that funds meant for those who covered the two elections had been embezzled.

The employee added that some employees that openly protested against the disparity were transferred out of the state.

“How can I, a graduate, get only N42,000 for one election when some people who are not graduates got N490,000 each for the same election? For two separate elections, this category of people collected N980,000 each, while some of us got N84, 000. That is injustice,” another aggrieved worker told SUNDAY PUNCH.

In a copy of an anonymous petition addressed to the Secretary of the commission, Mr. Joseph Mbonu, the aggrieved workers noted that certain categories of workers were treated as “special people” with the N980,000 allowance.

“It is imperative to note that the special people in the Accounts Department earn higher than their colleagues on the same grade level,” the petition, which was copied the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Augustine Ahiazu, read.

When contacted, the commission’s Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Sam Woka, said, “The commission has set up a committee to investigate the matter and we cannot pre-empt the outcome of the investigation. That is my response for now.”