By Gabriel Ameh
Beyond the sensitive task of conducting elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continues to grapple with deep-seated challenges in staff welfare and corporate governance issues that have become most evident in the plight of its retirees.
Compounding the difficulties faced by INEC staff is the reality that, upon retirement, they are left at the mercy of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). To date, the CPS has proved to be one of the most inadequate and least compassionate pension arrangements in Nigeria.
The recent and widely reported travails of police pensioners under the CPS underscore its shortcomings.
The dysfunction in INEC’s welfare structure and corporate governance framework has inevitably spilled into the pension space. Despite federal government approval and the payment of recent pension arrears to retirees in other agencies, INEC pensioners are yet to receive their own arrears as of the time of writing this piece.
More troubling is the fact that among agencies on the First Line Charge of the Federation Account, INEC retirees appear to be among the few still subjected to the CPS an arrangement many other retirees are exiting due to its meagre benefits.
Against this backdrop, the recent admonition by the new INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, urging staff not to compromise the electoral process and to adhere strictly to the Constitution, the Electoral Act, INEC guidelines, and core values such as integrity, honesty, transparency and impartiality, struck a chord with many patriotic Nigerians.
Indeed, stakeholders in the electoral process would naturally welcome such principled rhetoric. As the constitutionally empowered body responsible for elections, INEC bears the ultimate responsibility for electoral credibility. The buck stops at its table, and it must lead other stakeholders by example.
Professor Amupitan, however, assumes office at a critical moment. INEC is still navigating a difficult path of institutional redemption following the controversies that trailed the 2023 General Elections. Addressing staff welfare and strengthening the Commission’s faltering corporate governance should therefore be among his immediate priorities.
A workforce whose conditions of service, remuneration and pension are secure is far more likely to act with professionalism, integrity and commitment. Well-motivated staff will not only ease INEC’s redemption journey but also improve the credibility and transparency of future elections. Such reforms would also align the Commission with global best practices among Election Management Bodies (EMBs).
Globally, EMB staff are often remunerated above average to insulate them from undue influence and reduce susceptibility to inducement by desperate political actors. INEC cannot be an exception. It is unrealistic to demand the highest standards of integrity and impartiality from staff whose welfare does not reflect the risks and responsibilities of their duties.
Professor Amupitan and his management team must therefore take decisive steps to improve staff conditions of service without delay. Only then will the Commission be morally and institutionally justified in demanding the highest levels of probity and professionalism from its workforce.
After all, a labourer is worthy of his hire.
