The newly recruited personnel for the 2023 set of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) are lamenting over unpaid salary arrears, despite being captured by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The officers, who spoke to our correspondent on Saturday, revealed that their appointment letters were dated August 15th, 2023, and they resumed induction training in Abuja from September to December 2023. However, IPPIS started paying salaries from March 2024, leaving behind seven months’ worth of salary arrears.
In a striking comparison, the officers revealed that their counterparts in the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who collected their appointment letters at the same time, have been receiving their salaries since September 2023.
“We feel betrayed and abandoned,” said one of the affected officers. “We were recruited at the same time as our colleagues in the NSCDC, but while they have been receiving their salaries since September 2023, we have been left behind.”
The officers are seeking the intervention of the Minister of Interior, Tunji-Ojo to address the situation.
“This situation is affecting our morale and ability to perform our duties effectively,” said another officer. “We urge the Minister to help us resolve this issue and pay us our rightful salaries.”
However, the Public Relations Officer of the NIS, Mr. Kenneth Udo, said the non-payment of the salary arrears was an omission from the IPPIS.
Udo said, “All Federal Government employees are on the IPPIS; that is where the issue is. There were some omissions, but the service is following up. The service met with the director of IPPIS last week; we are aware of the problem, but we are not responsible for the omission.
“We will surely rectify it; hopefully by the end of this month, the affected officers will receive their money. It is going to be rectified; we are on top of it.”
The affected officers are hoping for a swift resolution to the matter, as they continue to serve the country with dedication and commitment.