The National Orientation Agency in Ondo State has attributed its underperformance in voter education to a lack of resources, including staff shortage and underfunding.
Acting state director, James Adekunle, stated that the agency has only one operational vehicle and limited staff, making it difficult to carry out its duties effectively, according to Peoples Gazette.
Despite the challenges, the agency vowed to try its best with the limited resources ahead of the November 16 governorship election.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission has begun training critical stakeholders and met with political party leaders, with 2,053,061 registered voters.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, expressed confidence in INEC’s preparedness for the election, citing training on fire safety management and meetings with transport workers to ensure a successful poll.
The International Press Centre organized a two-day seminar for journalists to remind them of their critical role in election coverage.
“NOA is underfunded. We only have one operational vehicle in the whole of Ondo State. Unfortunately, we are very limited with resources and staff,” said Mr Adekunle, represented by a director in the agency, Wale Obanigba.
“And for the coming election, we don’t have resources. We know our duty, but how do we carry it out? We have not received any funds. We are not funded very well. However, we will try our best even with the limited resources.”
“We don’t want to be under any pressure for this election. We have also had training on effective fire and safety management for our staff to know what to do when there is a fire outbreak. We are trying to make our environment conducive for all our staff,” Ms Babalola added.
