“Pay Workers’ Salaries Before You Quit” – Senior Civil Servants To President Jonathan

by Zenith Oduah

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure that all outstanding salaries and allowances owed civil servants are paidd before his exit on May 29. The association in a statement in Lagos yesterday by its Secretary-General, Comrade Alade Bashir Lawal, faulted the claim by Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that the federal government was not owing workers.

According to him, there are outstanding salaries and allowances to be paid to certain categories of workers in some ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

He said some allowances owed workers since 2007 had not been settled. The statement reads in parts that, “We urge Mr. President to do the needful by paying all outstanding salaries and allowances to affected officers before he leaves office.

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

It said the federal government owed salaries of some staff in the MDAs between July and October 2013 because their names were omitted in pay rolls for no just reason.

The ASCSN said in the Federal Ministry of Education alone, the arrears of allowances owed were close to N2 billion while that of Defence Ministry was close to N1 billion.

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