The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has yet to pay the allowances of its officers that were mobilised for the Ekiti governorship election two weeks after the poll, Peoples Gazette can independently report.

The NSCDC deployed no fewer than 9,747 personnel for the Ekiti governorship election which was fraught with allegations of vote trading.

The Gazette recalls that the personnel were deployed to provide additional, and complement security for the June 18 Ekiti governorship election exercise. 

Among them were 160 armed all-female squads, posted to ensure the resistance to any form of violence and abuse against women involved in the political process. 

The Corps drew the personnel from about eight states; Ogun, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Oyo, Lagos, Ondo, and Edo including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, and were deployed to complement the efforts of their colleagues in Ekiti to provide enough security for the state.

A cross-section of the personnel, who spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, told The Gazette, on Wednesday, that they have not been paid their “duty allowances” by the authority. 

Some of them revealed in an interview that they were promised they would be paid before the mobilisation, noting that they were surprised that up till now they have not been paid a penny. 

The angry officers also lamented the unfair treatment meted out on them in the hands of their superiors, even while on assignment for the Ekiti election duty. 

“We have not been paid any dime as I speak with you. Some of us were posted to local villages in Ekiti for the election and we had to find our way to those areas. 

“There is a particular LGA in the state which I can’t remember now, I had to trek distances before I could locate the polling unit where I was meant to work alongside one other colleague from Ogun. 

“So for all this suffering, I am still yet to be paid for what I am entitled to, as an officer of the civil defense that worked during the election,” one of the personnel lamented. 

An officer drafted from the Osun State Command of the Corps revealed to The Gazette that the personnel are aggrieved and no longer taking it lightly with their superiors over the non-payment of their allowances. 

He said, “Some of us have been murmuring in the background but our superiors are just telling us to exercise patience that the money would soon be paid. 

“It is an act of injustice if we could leave our homes and families to another state for an election duty and yet up till this moment, we have not been paid what is accruable to us as officers.”

The complaints of the officers are the same as that of their counterparts mobilised from Lagos, and Edo states for the election exercise.

The officers from the two states, who narrated their experiences, wondered why the delay in the payment of their allowances when the election was already over. 

“For instance, I was part of those that were deployed for the Anambra election last November, and I got paid almost a week after the exercise. So, why is this of Ekiti taking so long to be paid? And the Osun election is nearer, I know they would want to mobilise us for the same mission. 

“Already, the winner has emerged and the losers have taken fate by chance. We are not just happy for the delay at all,” an officer mobilised from Edo told The gazette in a chat. 

A few of the officers have also threatened not to participate in the coming Osun State governorship election exercise. 

“In the next two weeks, they will mobilise us again for Osun. I will give an excuse that I am sick than going there to suffer myself while my allowance won’t be released on time until we start shouting,” a female officer said. 

Others who spoke claimed that they used their funds through the election while expecting that they would be refunded through their election duty allowances. 

Another officer, from the Ondo State Command of the Corps, also hinted that they were yet to be paid and appealed to the government not to deny them their rights. 

The NSCDC spokesperson, Sola Odumosun, confirmed that the allowance is yet to be paid to the officers deployed for the Ekiti election when contacted by The Gazette on Wednesday afternoon. 

Mr Odumosu said the Corps was still expecting the funds meant to be paid to the officers, who went for the Ekiti governorship election, from the Accountant General’s office.  

“The money has not dropped and even the Commandant General (CG) is very concerned about the payment for the exercise. As we speak, our finance people, especially our DFA (Director of Finance and Accounts) are currently in the Account General’s office. 

“The authorities concerned have not dropped the money for Civil Defence. So, the delay that we are experiencing at the moment is actually not from us (Civil defense)”, he added.