A pan-African youth organisation, Youngstars Development Initiative, has demanded public apology from relevant authorities over National Youth Service Corps members’ plight when Presidential and National Assembly elections were rescheduled.
The demand, which came in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, is directed specifically at the Independent National Electoral Commission and the National Youth Service Corps
INEC announced the postponement of the elections late Friday night, less than six hours to commencement of polling.
Consequently, NYSC members recruited as ad hoc staff for the elections, who had reported at their deployed areas across the country, were abandoned.
Reports and pictures in the media showed how the corps members slept in open fields, benches and buses across the country, with INEC not caring about their safety and other conditions.
In the statement signed by its Executive Director, Kingsley Bangwell, YDI said it was “greatly disappointed at the inadequate provision by INEC for the wellbeing’’ of the corps members.
It said: “Aside from the news of the postponement, Nigerians also woke up to embarrassing pictures in different media platforms depicting the pathetic conditions under which our corps members were forced to serve.
“Feedbacks from certain quarters revealed that the list of the corps members selected for the ad hoc work was released barely 48 hours to the election without proper posting details, causing further confusion for many of them.
“Corp members were not given any document stating their benefits; there are conflicting reports of how much they would get as allowance.
“Adequate security was not provided at some of the centres across the country where many corps members arrived at on Friday; neither were there any team to receive them.”
The organisation said the corps members were therefore forced to stay dark spaces, while some slept in open fields, benches and even in buses, with no proper arrangement for conveniences.
It said: “Due to these gaps, the lives of the NYSC members were put at risk in the course of their service to the nation.”
It said the situation was unacceptable as it was “below the standards of dignity of labour and dignity of the human person”.
It stated: “Besides tendering a joint public apology, INEC and NYSC should immediately address the logistics and welfare issues.”
It asked INEC to formally inform the corps members of their welfare packages to avoid conflicting reports and malpractices.
On Monday, the NYSC issued a statement confirming the reported hardship suffered by the affected corps members across the country.
In the statement signed by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Adenike Adeyemi, the corps said that INEC had promised to improve on the safety and welfare provisions for the corps members.