By Iramofu OGB, Abuja
Ahead of Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States Governorship off-cycle elections, the morale of the staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has received a boost as the Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured that all allowances accrued to them will soon be paid.
Yakubu gave this confirmation noting that the National Assembly has approved the appropriation of the N18 billion Naira supplementary budget submitted before it by the Commission, which he defended on Wednesday 1st November 2023.
Prof. Yakubu reiterated this while addressing staff of the Commission at Yenagoa Local Government, the Bayelsa State capital, during a readiness assessment visit to the state on Thursday 2nd November 2023.
He said, “I know that many of you are not happy because you have not received the alert for the 40 percent palliative awarded to all civil servants to cushion the effect of the economic hardship being experienced due to the removal of the fuel subsidy.”
He explained that the cause of the delay in payment was that the Commission’s budget for the year 2023 was appropriated in December last year and, as such did not capture the 40 percent peculiar allowance, the New Duty Tour Allowance, and the 35-thousand-naira cash award for 6 months approved by the Federal Government from April to September this year. Prof. Yakubu however affirmed that “the Commission did not go to sleep’’
He explained further steps taken by the Commission towards addressing the issue, the INEC Chairman said: “We met with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja recently and informed them to plead with the members of staff to please bear with the Commission as ‘’everything is been done to ensure we put a smile on your faces and very soon, this long wait will be over”.
“I was also told that the N35,000-award palliative ought to have been paid from September 1st, 2023 as it has been paid in some ministries, meaning that you have 2 months’ arrears and we are going to pay you for a period of six months from September 2023 to February 2024, meanwhile; you are going to have 10 months arrears for the 40 percent peculiar allowance and we will commence paying as soon as the Commission receives funding.
Prof. Yakubu acknowledged that “even though the payment didn’t come as expected, it is like savings for you all.”
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