The 2019 general elections may have come and gone, but issues surrounding it still lingers as Domestic observers deployed under the engagement of a Nigerian Non Governmental Organisation Center for Transparncy Advocacy, CTA, say they have not been paid their observers fee of five thousand naira, which was the proposed fee by the CTA to pay ten domestic observers across Taraba State to observe the 9th March governoship and House of Assembly elections close to three weeks now after the exercise .
In His words, one of the CTA observers Yahuza Magaji who says he observed the governorship and Houses of Assembly Election in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba state said ” I wish to express my displeasure as regards to nonpayment of our observer money from CTA. Since the conclusion of the Governorship and the State Assembly elections on March, 9, 2019, CTA has not made any commitment to her observers nor has it make any effort to communicate on the delay or their inability to pay the money.
It was on this note that I am writing a formal complain and urging CTA to commit themselves to paying the observer stipend.
As a reasonable and responsible organisation as we all believe it is, i am calling on CTA to as a matter of urgency to fulfil there own end of the bargain and ease the pressures coming to CEED from observers “.
For Shiena Kunde, who says he observed elections for CTA under Yorro Local Government area of the state, he sents an appeal to the CTA to save their faces from shame as some of them had to borrow transport fares to under take the exercise as in a bid to contribute to the process of Nation Building
“I please appeal to CTA to save us from this embarrassment, some people are indebted due to this exercise” he added.
When contacted over the issue of this allege long delay in payment of the Taraba State elections observers deployed by CTA, The acting executive director of the Center for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi confirmed the delay in payment to ZITI NEWS, and no reason was given to the observers for all this three weeks of wait.
Nwadishi however claimed that a coordinator of the group had an outstanding bill to settle with the CTA, hence the refusal by CTA to pay this observers.
a reason the observers argue should not warrant an NGO maltreate the them by this delay in their payment when they have done their work and delivered.
As it stands in Nigeria, no body regulates or conducts checks and balances on the activities of non governmental organizations in Nigeria hence alleged acts of such breach on the part of CTA by the Taraba State observers may be swept away unattended to, but will this not create a dent on the Nigeria NGOs who most of them are funded by Foreign Donors.
Although in June 2016, The Civil Society Commission of Nigeria Bill, 2016 (HB 705) was introduced seeking to establish an NGO regulatory commission that supervises, coordinates, and monitors the activities of NGOs. The bill would also make registration mandatory and require NGOs to reregister every two years.