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ASCSN urges President Jonathan to pay outstanding workers’ salaries, allowances

By Yetunde Ebosele
14 May 2015   |   3:59 am
The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to take necessary steps and ensure that all outstanding salaries and allowances owed public servants are settled before his exit on 29th May 2015.
Jonathan

Jonathan

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to take necessary steps and ensure that all outstanding salaries and allowances owed public servants are settled before his exit on 29th May 2015.

Making the plea in a statement issued on Tuesday, the Secretary-General of the association, Alade Bashir Lawal, faulted the claim of the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that the Federal Government was not owing its workers.

According to him, there were still outstanding salaries and allowances to be paid to certain categories of public servants in some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

Besides, he alleged that some of the allowances owed workers since 2007 were yet to be settled.

“We urge Mr. President to do the needful by ordering thorough investigation with a view to paying all outstanding salaries and allowances to affected officers before he leaves office on the 29th May 2015.

“This will not only allow the incoming administration start on a clean slate in terms of payment of staff emoluments but also further boost the image of Mr. President as a statesman,” the Union said.

According to the ASCSN, the Federal Government allegedly owes salaries to some staff in the MDAs for the months of July, August, September, and October 2013, because their names were omitted in the pay rolls for “no just reason”.

It added that outstanding allowances owed thousands of public servants include; promotion arrears since 2007 to date, 1st 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation, Duty Tour Allowance (DTA), mandatory training allowance organised by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation in 2010, burial expenses, repatriation allowance, etc.

“We believe that if Mr. President can pay these outstanding legitimate salaries and allowances to thousands of public servants, he would not only endear himself to the Public Service employees but also leave his footprints on the sands of time.

“If he leaves office without paying, Public Servants will surely have a different impression of him,” it said.

The ASCSN disclosed that in the Federal Ministry of Education alone, the arrears of allowances owed is running close to N2 billion, while that of Defence Ministry is close to N1 billion.

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