Abuja—INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega has assured Nigerians that the commission will ensure probity, accountability and integrity for the 2011 general elections.

Defending INEC’s N89 billion budget proposals for voters’ register and other logistics, Jega told the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters that the commission would protect taxpayer’s money.

He said the requested money was the estimate urgently needed to ensure credible elections as most equipment and materials inherited from his predecessors were obsolete, inadequate or were not credible for any poll.

According to Jega, who was accompanied by his commission members, if the commission makes the necessary savings, it will make sure the money is remitted back to government coffers.

He said new innovation at the commission included use of three ballot boxes per polling unit across the 120,000 polling units and the procurement of at least one vehicle in all the 774 local governments.

Jega said in the area of personnel, the commission intended using corps members and final year students from higher institutions with a stipend of N30,000 during voter registration.