INEC to train security operatives before 2015 elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission says it is working closely with security agencies to provide additional training of security officials on election duty.
INEC Chairman, Professor
Attahiru Jega, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the additional training
became necessary because election duty “requires specialised training”.
Professor Jega said the
additional training would be on a train-the-trainer basis whereby officers
trained would train other officers in their various organisations ahead of the
2015 general elections.
``In the Inter-agency
Consultative Committee on Election Security, we have severally discussed the
need to ensure that security agencies are well trained.
``A number of programme of
activities has been designed for the training of security officials on election
duty.
``Security officers are
trained on their jobs of maintaining law and order but election duty also
requires specialised training.
``As I speak with you, the
Electoral Institute of INEC is working closely with many security agencies
trying to organise what we call a training of trainers so that each
organisation will send some people, who will be trained at our institute, so
that they can go back and train others in their own organisations.
``So, I want to assure you
that everybody - both INEC and the security agencies - have seen the need to
provide additional training for security personnel who are going to be involved
in elections.
``And a lot of measures are
being put in place to ensure that is done before the 2015 general elections.``
The INEC chairman said the
commission was working hard to see that the salaries and wages of staff members
of the commission were improved and made commensurate with the ``special`` and
``risky`` nature of their jobs.
``Since we came in as a new
commission, we have done our best to improve the welfare of our workers.
``The only thing we have not
been able to do is to increase their salaries; and that one is difficult
because salary and wage review is normally done at a higher systemic level.
``But we have been pushing
and dialoging with government, trying to argue that INEC staff members
discharge special, risky responsibilities and therefore deserve special salary
scale.
``And we are doing our best;
our hope is that sooner or later we will be able to have a separate salary
structure for the staff members of the commission.
``But even before we are
able to get that we have been doing everything possible to improve their
welfare and their conditions of work.’’
He said the new INEC
management had given some of the commission’s offices a facelift.
Jega said the headquarters
of the commission had been decongested by renting offices nearby.
He said, ``whatever we can
do within the limit of our resources and permissible by law, we have been able
to do and will keep on doing.
``The welfare of our workers
is primary and whatever is possible within the law we will do so that they can
be contented and motivated to give their best to the country.’’
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