“INEC Staff Are the Least Paid in Nigeria” — Amupitan

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has disclosed that workers of the electoral body are among the least-paid employees in Nigeria, as the commission moves to improve their welfare ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Amupitan made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja while presenting INEC’s preparations for the 2027 elections at a World Press Conference.

The INEC chairman said better pay had become necessary to motivate the commission’s workforce and strengthen accountability, arguing that the electoral body could not demand high standards from its employees while leaving them poorly remunerated.

“INEC staff are the least paid in Nigeria. So, we felt if we want to demand and hold our staff responsible, we should give them a living wage,” Amupitan said.

He explained that the commission had taken steps to move away from the traditional civil service payment arrangement, saying INEC was now working towards a separate electoral and salary structure that would reflect the specialised nature of its responsibilities.

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“We are not called civil servants. What we have learned under the civil service payment structure, which we have just removed INEC from, is to have their own separate structure, electoral structure, and separate salary structure from the civil service,” he said.

Amupitan said the salary reform was part of wider efforts to strengthen the commission internally and address weaknesses that could affect the credibility and efficiency of Nigeria’s electoral process.

He added that INEC had identified several gaps within the system and was already working on measures to close them before the 2027 elections.

“There are many others that we have discovered. And we felt that if they address all, it will be able to solve some of the problems we have with the system,” the INEC chairman said.

The disclosure comes as INEC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general elections, with the commission expected to undertake a series of administrative and institutional reforms aimed at improving the conduct of future polls.