The National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Dr Tommy Okon, who disclosed this in Abuja, urged the Federal Government to resolve the issues swiftly.

He explained that out of the 17,000 who were delisted from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in October 2023 are on course to receive their salaries, only those who had earlier completed their verification exercise but were mistakenly delisted have had their salaries restored.

According to him, 5,000 civil servants still have discrepancies on their date of first appointment and date of birth. A total of 2,772 have been verified and forwarded to IPPIS for payment because there were no issues.”

While advising affected civil servants to constantly check the Head of Service of the Federation website for regular updates so as not to be caught unawares, he hinted that six teams are working to ensure that the exercise is completed on time.

“It is advisable for a public servant to develop the habit of checking the HOS Website for regular updates. We have confirmed that the salary for November 2023 is concluded. Therefore, those affected will not get their salaries for November,” Okon stated.

However, he assured that some of the affected workers might likely get their salaries for December, including the arrears from September.

Okon appealed to the Federal Government through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to expedite action to ensure that December salaries are not delayed while urging members of the union to exercise patience as everything is being done within the ambit of the laws to ensure that the issues are resolved expeditiously.

On the recent promotions examination for Directors aspiring to the office of the Permanent Secretaries, Dr Okon said such examinations will increase the efficiency of civil service being the engine room of government policies.

Indeed, the Public Service Rule (PSR) states that the selection shall be through a competitive examination process including but not limited to written examination, test of ICT proficiency and oral interview and Resource persons from the Civil/Public Service and Private institutions may be involved in the selection process.

Okon added: “It is expected that when you rise in your career as a director, you have gotten to the pinnacle of your career. Hence, the position of Permanent Secretary is another kettle of fish, which requires greater responsibility and a broader scope of competence. We are yet to understand how government projects and activities are to be driven effectively without having in place the best hands and brains.”

He lamented that over time, the Civil Service has suffered exponential decadence of its pool of highly skilled and knowledgeable officers, saying, “We cannot continue to pay lip service to the need to scale the quality of the civil servants especially those at the senior level who are expected to demonstrate impeccable character and capability to drive government projects and programmes.

“A situation where only 20 candidates out of 85 demonstrated the requisite knowledge and skill at the written examination and 18 candidates from that number made it to the final stage of the recently concluded selection exercise for the appointment of permanent secretaries leaves little to be imagined about the state of the quality of officers in the Civil Service.”

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Okon said the affected workers are those who have discrepancies in their dates of first appointment and birth.

The national president made this known on Tuesday while addressing journalists in Abuja.

He said the union was working with the head of civil service of the federation to resolve the issues.

Okon added that the names of the affected workers have been forwarded to their directors of human resources for confirmation.

“The physical verification exercise of the ‘17,000’ core civil servants who were delisted from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System was concluded in October 2023 and those involved were in high spirit, waiting for their monthly salary, which was stopped since September 2023 to be restored,” Okon said.

“As of today, only those who had earlier completed their verification exercise but were mistakenly delisted have had their salaries restored while 5,000 of civil servants still have discrepancies on their date of first appointment and dates of birth.”

The ASCSN president said 2,772 workers have been successfully reinstated to the payroll after concluding their online and physical verification exercises.

Okon urged the affected workers to be patient, promising that the union is doing everything within the ambit of the law to ensure that the issues are resolved promptly.

“A total of 2,772 have been verified and forwarded to IPPIS for payment because there were no issues. The names of 5,000 workers who have discrepancies are to be forwarded to their DHR for confirmation,” he added.

“There are six teams working tirelessly to ensure that the exercise is completed on time. It is advisable for public servants to develop the habit of checking the HOS website for regular updates.

“We have confirmed that the salary for the month of November 2023 is concluded, therefore, those affected will not be able to get their salary for the month of November.+

“However, the effort is being made by the HOSF to ensure that those cleared will get their salaries for December 2023 including the arrears from September.”

Okon urged the federal government to speed up actions to ensure that the December salaries of civil servants working to be restored into the payroll is not delayed.

“We appeal to the Federal Government through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to expedite action to ensure that the salary of December is not delayed,” Okon said.

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The unions are the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), and Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN).

On October 18, the council suspended Yusuf indefinitely on allegations of financial infractions.

Enantu Ifenna, chairman of the council, said the executive secretary refused to carry out the board’s decisions on critical issues and institutionalised corruption at the agency.

However, the suspended executive secretary resumed duty.

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), said the boards and councils have no power to suspend any chief executive appointed by the president.

But speaking with NAN on Tuesday, Abdulrazak Omomaji, chairman of ASCSN, said the act establishing the NHIS was unique and it gives the council the powers to suspend the executive secretary.

“I want to clarify that the act which establishes the NHIS is different from the other government parastatals which are guided by boards and directors,” Omomaji said.

“The governing council of the NHIS however acted within its jurisdiction, they are the chief security officer of the organisation and have the powers to discipline and suspend.

“Let it be clear that council has not removed Prof. Usman Yusuf, but has asked him to step aside for investigations after which findings will be forwarded to the minister of health.

“Council is therefore in order, and we shall continue with the protest as we await government’s reaction.”

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The police officers arrived in the premises on Monday morning following rumours of a planned protest by the staff of the agency.

The armed officers are occupying the premises and also stationed along the road in the area.

Last week, the workers protested the reinstatement of Usman Yusuf, executive secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Some of them vowed not to resume until his reinstatement is reversed. But on Monday, a group of workers loyal to Yusuf staged a counter-protest.

Yusuf was recalled after he was suspended last year over allegations of fraud levelled against him.

Our correspondent who is currently at the agency learnt that some persons believed to be in support of the recently reinstated Executive Secretary of the NHIS boss, Prof. Usman Yusuf, are expected to hold a solidarity rally at the agency.

Yusuf, who is accused of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919m, was controversially reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari last week.

Unionists at the NHIS have therefore grounded activities at the agency.

Speaking at the agency on Monday, the Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria at the NHIS, Razaq Omomeji, told members not to be intimidated.

Omomeji said the persons coming to protest were hired by Yusuf.

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The protest began about 40 minutes after Yusuf resumed at the headquarters of the agency in Abuja.

The unionists who sang protest songs said the reinstatement of Yusuf would thwart his investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissio, EFCC.

The protesters, who described the reinstatament saga as ‘Yusufgate’, said it was a mockery of President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.

Addressing journalists on the premises of the agency, the Chairman of the NHIS arm of the union, Razaq Omomeji, said the protests would continue until Buhari reversed Yusuf’s reinstatement.

Omomeji said Yusuf had bastardised the scheme and his return would only worsen affairs at the agency.

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In a memo written to the NEMA Branch Chairman of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN)and the Trade Union Congress(TUC), the union noted that the strike has become necessary as NEMA management led by the new helmsman has shown total disregard for staff welfare and other matters.

The letter was written by the Secretary-General, ASCSN, Isaac Ojenmhenike, and was addressed to the President, Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and other senior government officials.

The Union said based on the expiration of the agreement signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, NEMA management and the union, it has become clear that the NEMA has refused to comply.

Some of the placards pasted at the gates of NEMA offices reads “Mustapha Maihaja must go,” “Mustapha we are tired of aluta, pay our claims or resign, enough is enough.”

“No hazard allowance, no life assurance cover”, “Who will die next”, “No promotion exercise”, “Give us training it is statutory”, “Maihaja is an electrician, we are humanitarian.”

The Union has therefore directed all its members in all NEMA offices nationwide to embark on indefinite strike as further information would be communicated in due course.

The current action would disrupt the ongoing distribution of relief materials to victims of Boko Haram victims in various Internally Displaced Persons camps in the North Eastern part of the country.

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The National Executive Council of the ASCSN, which took the decision during its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, also decided to picket the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office, which the workers believed were subverting the express directives of the President to release funds to pay several arrears owed them.

The Federal Capital Territory Secretary of the association, Ojemhenka Isaac, who read the decision to journalists said the money approved by the National Assembly to pay the arrears was diverted to pay contractors for unknown projects.

The President of the ASCSN, Bala Kaigama, who doubles as the President of the Trade Union Congress, told journalists after the meeting that the ASCSN, an affiliate Union of the TUC, would collaborate with the NLC to carry out the planned industrial action.

“Yes, the picketing would be done and I will lead it because this thing has taken so long. The idea of the payment of arrears of promotions, death benefits, first 28 days, started as soon as the President was sworn in.”

Kaigama stated that the picketing of the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office would be followed by a strike, adding that the dates for actions would be worked out later.

According to him, the arrears, owed the workers, were not paid even when the President directed the Head of Service to work out the details with unions and to commence payment.

He explained that when submissions on the issue were made to the government, the government argued that there was no budgetary provision for the payment of the arrears.

Kaigama said, “We wrote to Mr. President; he responded positively and then directed the Office of the Head of Service to sit with us and work out the details. The details were worked out through the MDAs and our representatives at the MDA level and submissions were made to the Office of the Head of Service.

“That was done, then the National Assembly approved a virement but a chunk of the money was earmarked for the settlement of part of these arrears. But today, the explanation they are giving us is that the virement approved by the National Assembly has lapsed; that it is only capital projects that it (virement) can accommodate, it cannot accommodate overhead.

“In fact, except if the National Assembly intervenes now, there is a tendency that even this year’s budget may not capture these issues. And that is why we have decided that enough is enough. We are going to picket where we know the problems are.

“Mr President has directed; the delay we have now is between Finance and Budget. So, if we picket these offices, somebody must come out to tell us the truth so that the whole world will know where the problem is; and on this we stand.”

When asked if the NLC was involved in the planned action, he said, “Of course, in fact I am even meeting with him (NLC’s President) this afternoon to brief him on that and it is going to be a joint action with the NLC, be rest assured that the NLC would cooperate with us in this struggle.’’

On the new Minimum Wage, Kaigama said the Federal Government and organised Labour would meet on the issues of the constitution of the tripartite committee and the palliatives to reduce the effect of the fuel price increase on Nigerians on May 9, 2017.

He stated that it was the expectation of organised Labour that the tripartite committee was set up by the end of the month if the government meant to do it.

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In a statement by its President and Secretary-General, Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Alade Bashir Lawal, the union said any attempt by government to sack workers or reduce their salaries in the name of austerity measures would amount to a declaration of war on Nigerian workers and would be resisted by the labour movement.

According to the statement, “when the economy boomed, the political office holders were freeloading as if there was no tomorrow, while most Nigerian workers lived below $2.

“During that period, workers called for better pay package but were rebuffed by the ruling elite. It was enjoyment galore for those in government, while workers were helpless and hapless as if they were not stakeholders in the system.

“Today, the meagre N18,000 minimum wage approved in 2011 by the Federal Government has not been fully implemented by some state governments and as such it will be the height of insensitivity for any government to contemplate sacking civil servants or reducing their pay in the name of austerity measures.”

ASCSN lamented that the union had advised the government to reduce the whopping pay packets and mouth-watering allowances of political office holders and check other leakages that encouraged corruption in the system, but was ignored.

It said: “Records will also show that this union, on several occasions, cautioned the Federal Government to stop the depletion of foreign reserves and needless rush to seek foreign loans for white elephant projects, because such mindless profligacy can only lead to the collapse of the economy.

“It is very sad that it took a drastic drop in the price of crude oil in the international market for the managers of the economy, including self-styled experts, to realize that government must exercise restraint in the squandermania that has been going on, including plugging of loopholes to beef up government revenue base.”

ASCSN wondered if the recent decision by the government to spend more than N9billion to purchase stoves for “rural women” was not part of frivolous expenditure that had brought the economy to its knees.

The union urged government “to learn to conserve fund, avoid conspicuous consumption including the needless competition by political office holders to own private jets to be bought and maintained by the Government.

“If political office holders do not check their greed, no amount of belt-tightening will save the economy. As we write, the life style of those in Government does not match the noise being made about austerity measures.

“This means that the measures are meant for the poor masses of this country as opposed to the rich ones which the Government wants us to believe.

“We once again call on the government to close all avenues that encourage corruption in the system and drastically reduce the humongous emoluments of political office holders to bring them in tandem with remunerations in other segments of the society.”

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The protesters accused the minister and other top officials of mismanaging SURE-P funds meant for the ministry.

The workers under the aegis of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Information chapter, blocked the gates to the Radio House for hours and prevented people from entering or coming out of the building.

The infuriated staff chanted solidarity songs and carried placards with inscriptions such as: “Is SURE-P money released for the pockets of a set of people?”, “Is there no budget released for the Ministry for Information for 2014?”

Other placards read, “Enough is Enough: Management sensitivity to staff welfare is zero,” “Perm Sec. Must Go,” “Non Payment of Repatriation allowance.”

Speaking to journalists, the Chairman of the association, Adam Ogwola, said the ministry’s management has been insensitive to staff welfare.

Ogwola pointed out that staff of the ministry have not been paid their repatriation allowance, noting that with Maku’s resignation, it might not be possible to recover the funds.

The association also accused Maku of sharing a part of the SURE-P funds with top management of the ministry without recourse to staff.

Continuing, Ogwola said staff welfare had been at the lowest ebb since Maku became minister, adding that under him, the ministry could not pay statutory allowances to staff.

He questioned the budget released for the ministry under the 2014 budget and called for the immediate removal of the Permanent Secretary, Folasade Yemi-Esan.

Shortly after the protest, the former minister reportedly said he was willing to meet with 10 representatives each from Radio Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria, VON, Ministry of Information and the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, over dinner to resolve the issues at stake.

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In a statement issued in Abuja at the weekend and signed by its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, the Union stated that the suspension of the industrial action followed the release of the sum of N527.6m by the Federal Government which is now being used to pay the first batch of the promotion arrears to the staff of the Federal Ministry of Education.

“Besides, there have been appeals by well-meaning Nigerians including the Honourable Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters who met with the Union and the Management of the Federal Ministry of Education on Thursday 17th October, 2014 in Abuja and emphasized the need for the Ministry to pay its staff all their outstanding entitlements,” the statement added.

On the call for the removal of the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Nwaobiala, the ASCSN Secretary-General pointed out that the negative attitude of the Permanent Secretary towards the welfare of the Ministry’s workers and the ignoble role he played by treating welfare issues with levity provided the ingredients that fuelled the industrial action.

He emphasized that if the Permanent Secretary had done the needful, all the allowances, many of which have been outstanding since 2007 would have been paid.

“Persistent strikes in the Education sector have more than confirmed that the Permanent Secretary has lost his bearing and as such, the best option for the Government is to post him out of the Federal Ministry of Education before he completely destroys the sector,” the Statement added.

According to the Association’s Secretary-General, a task force made up of representatives of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Education has been set up to ensure that the N1.7 Billion needed to complete the payment of promotion arrears and other allowances are released by the Budget Office of the Federation.

Part of the Agreement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, the Secretary-General, Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal and Dr. M.B. Umar, Director (Human Resource Management), Federal Ministry of Education, reads: “the outstanding sum of N1.7 Billion which covers the balance of 2007 to 2010 Promotion Arrears, the supplementary Promotion Arrears for 2011, Promotion Arrears for 2012, outstanding salaries for newly employed and re-instatement allowance, will be paid immediately the sum of N1.7 Billion is released to the Federal Ministry of Education by the Budget Office of the Federation”.

“The sum of N25 million will be set aside by the Ministry monthly (with effect from September, 2014) to offset other Allowances owed members of staff,” the statement added.

The Association’s scribe explained that these other allowances include the 1st 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation, Duty Tour Allowance, 2010 Mandatory Training Allowance, Burial Expenses Allowance, FTC Course Allowance, Repatriation Allowance, etc.

It will be recalled that the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria called out its teeming members at the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Inspectorate Offices and the 104 Federal Unity Colleges on strike to press home its demands for the payment of the above entitlements and allowances.

The strike action paralyzed activities at the Headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Inspectorate Offices and the 104 Federal Unity Colleges.

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