LASIEC yet to pay us 1month after LG elections- Ad-hoc staffers

A month after the last Local Government elections in Lagos, some of the ad-hoc staffers who worked with the Lagos State Independent Electoral commission (LASIEC) have cried out over non- payment of their wages by the commission.

One of the ad-hoc staffers who worked as presiding officer in Kosofe LG who spoke with newsmen said, “LASIEC has not paid us since one month ago, they kept telling us to be patient, patient till when, how much are they paying us self that we have to wait till eternity?”

Another presiding officer who pleaded anonymity also said, “We are tired of waiting. When will our waiting come to an end? If nothing is done this week , we may have to besiege the commission’s office with protests if that is what they want”, she said.

When we contacted, the spokesperson for the commission, Mr. Tope Ojo, said about 90 percent of the ad-hoc staff have been paid, and the payment is being done in batches, from LG to LG.

“We have paid 90 percent of the ad-hoc staff, those who have not been paid maybe having discrepancies in their account details which is being sorted out, I can assure you that all will be paid between now and next week.

Then, there are also people who registered on our website and didn’t work at the end of the day. We need to sought all these out so we don’t pay the wrong person. these are the reasons for the delay in some of the LGs that have not been paid”, he said.

When the chairman house committee on LASIEC, Hon. Victor Olusegun Akande was also contacted, he said the payment was being made and those who had not been paid needed to be patient with the commission.

“The commission has started the payment, it is LG by LG, those who have not been paid need to be patient with the commission, they will soon receive their money”, Akande promised.

Meanwhile, during the press briefing organised by the commission Friday preceding the LG election, one of the journalists had asked the Chairperson of LASIEC, Retd. Justice Philip Ayotunde, about late payment of ad-hoc staffers which was the case four years ago, the LASIEC chairperson said it would not happen this year.