Aliyu Machika

The Mugwump National Electoral Committee (INEC) yesterday issued checks worth N21 million to 10 households of their asleep staff as payment for their Group Life Assurance Claim.

Presenting the checks to the households on behalf of the Commission, the INEC chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, said the death of the employees pulls attending to the strains and danger which workings in the committee entailed.

He said the policy to pay the life issurance was borne out of the fact that the procedure of electoral democracy "remains a very nerve-racking and hazardous duty assignment in Federal Republic Of Nigeria and Africa as a whole," adding that election direction federal agencies should ordinarily not be a life endangering matter.

"It is a sad commentary on our state of being as a society that assorted staff of the Committee have got had to confront utmost exposure to strains, pressure, menaces and physical assault leading to temporal and at modern times lasting disability. In some unfortunate cases, decease have resulted in the course of study of what ought to be a civic duty of carrying out electoral duties," Iwu lamented.

"This staff coverage policy is a loanblend of the Group Policy Assurance (GPA) and the Group Life Assurance (GLA) policies which supply screen for Death-in-Service benefit collectible to the dependents of asleep staff no substance the cause of the decease but subject to generally acceptable exclusion clause as the contract of insurance.

"This coverage will also cover the sum lasting or impermanent disablement resulting from accident and natural causes as well as taking attention of the medical disbursals for calling populace retainers arising from accident," he added.

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Prof. Iwu additional stressed that the Committee will endeavor to protect the involvement of its employees and called on the staff to give their best to the state in their important service of edifice order and stableness through managing the country's electoral process.

"Today we are thankful to Supreme Being for witnessing the first fruit of the strategy with a sum of money sum of over N21 million worth of checks being handed over to 10 households of recorded asleep staff members of the Committee from the origin of the policy on 12th April, 2007," he said.

He expressed hope that the state appreciates the forfeit of INEC staff and develop to the degree where working in the electoral committee will no longer be a major beginning of emphasis and danger to peace of head and life itself.