We’ve paid all allowances to corps members, others –INEC

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said funds for the payment of allowances of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and ad-hoc workers engaged for the 2015 general elections have been released.

Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, told reporters in Abuja yesterday that it was possible for some of ad-hoc workers not to have received their money due to error in the bank account details submitted for the payment of such allowances.
He said for corps members, their money was paid directly to the NYSC even before the elections.

The Director-General of the NYSC acknowledged this on the day INEC and officials of the directorate held a joint news briefing. He said the monies for corps members had been paid to the scheme for onward payment to the corps members as agreed.
“They were to be paid an initial sum before the elections and the balance after the elections. I am very sure that the directorate has done that. For the non-NYSC members, they were requested to submit their account details and they were also paid an initial amount and then the balance after the exercise. It is very likely that, this had been done,’’ Idowu said.

He, however, admitted that there were isolated reports that some ad-hoc workers had not been paid their allowances, saying he had spoken with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) of the affected states, including Lagos on the matter. He said most of the outstanding cases were due to challenges associated with submitted account details.

While it was compulsory to pay the money through the bank, he said, it was possible that some of the submitted bank accounts may not be active.

“I also heard a REC speaking on television explaining that people should bring their account details as some of the details submitted were not valid or correct which created a challenge in accessing the accounts for payment. I have heard cases that some people will write their names but filled in their fathers’ account, such account cannot be accessed because it is not the father’s name that was there but theirs. That is why they had the challenge, otherwise the money had been paid out by the commission,” Idowu said.’