INEC introduces online training for adhoc staff

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega says the commission is to introduce an online training and certification programme for persons that will be enlisted as ad hoc staff in future elections.

He said with the full implementation of programme, those with the certification will stand a better chance of being recruited as adhoc staff for the INEC’s future elections.
According to a statement by the his press secretary, Kayode Idowu yesterday, Professor Jega was speaking as a presenter in one of the plenary sessions during the four-day 6th Global Electoral Organisation (GEO) conference at the weekend in Incheon, South Korea.
The programme, Jega will be conducted by The Electoral Institute (TEI), a training and research agency of INEC and form part of concerted efforts to professionalise electoral duties that will enhance the integrity of elections in Nigeria.
While noting that the “inadequacy or lack of professional cadre of electoral officials is one of the major challenges confronting an Election Management Body (EMB) in a transition to democracy,” the INEC chairman said that “an EMB may do one, some or all of recruitment to regenerate staff, training and retraining, specialized skills provisioning, restructuring and reorganization.”
There are enormous challenges of capacity building and professionalisation of staff. It is to address these challenges that the commission has repositioned the Institute to be an excellent resource centre for research and training of electoral staff - not only for INEC, but also for State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and other EMBs in the West African sub-region, Jega told the participating countries.
“We are also drawing lessons from other EMBs and especially countries with existing institutes such as in India, Mexico and South Africa,” he added.
In one of the plenary sessions, the Director of Electoral Programs, National Democratic Institute (NDI), Pat Merloe, lauded INEC for “showing the way” in the deployment of social media platforms for citizens engagement as well as voter and civic education.
The conference drew participants from 90 member-countries, with more 400 participants and 94 organisations, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Source : #‎DailyTrust