By Emmanuel Oloniruha
The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has urged the leadership of the INEC Staff Multi-Purpose Co-Operative Society to uphold the commission’s core values of transparency, integrity, and accountability.
Amupitan made the call in his keynote address at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Election of the Society.
He advised the association’s leadership to be prudent with the members’ fund and ensure free and fair in the conduct of its internal elections.
The INEC boss said that there must be zero tolerance for corruption and mismanagement of members’ savings.
He said that “corruption, in any form, is a poison to any institution, especially one built on collective trust.”
Highlighting the co-operative’s core purpose, the INEC chairman also underscored the importance of members’ welfare, especially in the current challenging economic climate.
“As the custodian of the electoral process, I must impress upon the leadership of this great society, both outgoing and incoming, a critical set of values that must be non-negotiable.
“First, you must prioritise deft financial management and transparency. The co-operative money belongs to its members, and the executive is merely a trustee.
”Your books must be open, your transactions traceable, and your decisions justifiable.
“Second, you must eschew corruption and commit to absolute accountability. Corruption in any form is a poison to any institution, especially one built on collective trust.
“There must be zero tolerance for the mismanagement of members’ savings. Cooperative money is not for party celebration.
”Every naira must be accounted for and dedicated to profitable ventures to improve members’ welfare.
“The core purpose of the co-operative is members’ welfare. In these challenging economic times, the co-operative is a reliable option for staff to save and support one another,” he said.
Amupitan, who reiterated his commitment to staff welfare urged the cooperative leadership to prioritise members’ welfare, and ensure a level playing field in accessing loans.
He said that every member, regardless of their position or connection, must have equal and fair access to the packages and benefits offered by the society.
“The exco must be guided at all times by the rules of the multipurpose society and the principles of fairness, justice, and equity.
“Good investment focus and forward thinking approach will help the society build a more resilient future,” he said.
On the cooperative election, Amupitan urged the society to conduct its election with the same “discipline, fairness, and transparency” demanded of the national electoral process.
He commended the cooperative President, Mr Nenrot Gana, who was returned unopposed and his Executive Committee for successfully steering the society over the past fiscal year and for the strong participation recorded.
Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s support for the INEC Staff Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society as a vital pillar of its staff welfare policy, while pledging the commission support for its housing project initiative.
“There is nothing as bad as working all your entire life and there is no home to retire to.
“I know there are some policies and interventions of government that we can key into to see how we can think of owner occupier houses for staff members. Not just in the Federal Capital Territory but other states.
“We will work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Finance to ensure that all those interventions that are available for housing, we are able to key in and ensure that we maximise the welfare of staff,” he said.
He appealed to members to allow the electoral process to strengthen the spirit of unity and collaboration within the INEC family.
He also appealed to them to continue to work together to build a stronger, more resilient and competitive society that benefit every member.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the cooperative declared a surplus of income N34,475,508 for the year 2024 after expenditure, compare to N21,656,126 for 2023.
Secretary to the Commission, Dr Rose Oriaran-Anthony, congratulated the society and the executive for a successful fiscal year.
Oriaran-Anthony said that the society was not just one of the best in Nigeria, it had improved the welfare and working relationship among its members and the entire commission across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
“You have been able to establish healthy relationship. The work that you do has complement the work of the commission in offering us healthy relationship among staff members,” he said.
She, however, said that there was still room for improvement in the coming years.
She expressed optimism that the planned microfinance bank by the commission would be a realistic project by 2026.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)