By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has instructed the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately settle outstanding insurance premiums for National Youth Service Corps members who were injured or lost their lives while serving as ad-hoc staff during elections.
The directive came after the National Youth Service Corps informed the committee that insurance benefits due to Corps members hurt during the 2023 general elections had still not been released.
Represented by the Director of Welfare, Omotade Ayodele Folorunsho, the NYSC leadership recounted cases of three Corps members shot during the 2023 polls, two in Delta State’s Ukwani area and one in Akwa Ibom, with some left permanently disabled.
He explained that although the NYSC has covered its own component of the insurance, the N1 million due under the agreement with INEC remains outstanding, despite the commission handling the victims’ medical care.
He also decried the long-standing inadequacies in election arrangements, which continue to expose Corps members to danger, leaving many unprotected in moments of crisis.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he recalled the tragic 2011 elections in which ten serving Corps members were killed, noting that he was then a young officer in the Service and personally bore the responsibility of organising their burials.
He also disclosed that Corp members are often poorly renumerated while participating in the elections.
“They are ₦4000 for three to five day training and ₦13, 500 for election day duty. In most cases, these corps members don’t even have a place to sleep. Some of them sleep on bare floor and the following day, they don’t even have water to bath”, he added.
He proposed that the deployment of Corps members during elections should be coordinated through the Office of the National Security Adviser, noting that the NSA already sits on the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security and is better positioned to ensure their safety.
Chairman House Committee on Electoral Matters, Rep. Adebayo Balogun, emphasised that the NYSC is not simply another stakeholder in the electoral process but a vital partner in safeguarding the credibility and smooth conduct of elections.
He said “For decades, Corps mémbers have formed the backbone of election day operations, manning polling units across the federation as ad hoc staff of the Independent Nation Electoral Commission (INEC). They carry the burden of ensuring that the voting process is transparent, orderly, and credible.
“However, we cannot ignore the realities they face. Elections in Nigeria are won or lost at the polling units, and because of this, our Corps Members often find themselves exposed to dangers they should never have to confront.
“Reports abound of intimidation, harassment, threats, and attempts at financial inducement. In some tragic instances, these young citizens have been attacked, injured, or even killed in the line of duty, not because they did anything wrong, but because desperate political interests saw them as obstacles to manipulation.
“This is unacceptable. No election is worth the life of even one young Nigerian. The security, welfare, and dignity of Corps Members must not be negotiable.
“We must collectively interrogate the conditions under which Corps Members participate in elections. We must re-examine their security, their compensation, their training, their insurance coverage, their logistical support, and their overall well-being. We must ensure that every Corps Member deployed for election duty returns safely to their families and continue their service to the nation without fear.
“Let me emphasize that the political class and the Nigerian public must pay attention to the welfare of these Corps Members. Too often, national discourse is fixated on questions such as who appoints the INEC Chairman or how leadership positions are allocated.
“While these debates are legitimate, they miss the central point; elections are not decided in Abuja. They are not decided in political party headquarters. They are decided at the polling units, and the young men and women who stand at those polling units deserve our utmost protection and respect. We can strengthen our democracy by strengthening the people who administer it at the grassroots.”
He reaffirmed the readiness of the committee to champion any legislative or policy interventions that will guarantee their safety, improve their working conditions, and acknowledge the patriotic service they render to our democracy.
Rep. Balogun said “the strength of our democracy rests on the shoulders of young Nigerians who stand at the polling units with courage and integrity. We owe them more than appreciation; we owe them protection, dignity, and a system that values their sacrifice”.
In response to the presentation, committee member, Rep. Alex Egbona moved a motion which was unanimously endorsed, directing the electoral commission to ensure that the insurance firm responsible for covering Corps members and INEC staff pays the outstanding premiums to the affected individuals within four weeks.