A group of immigration officers recruited in August 2023 have called for President Bola Tinubu’s intervention over unpaid salary arrears stretching back seven months.
The affected officers, whose employment letters are dated August 15, 2023, revealed that they have not received their salaries for the period between August 2023 and February 2024, despite being enrolled in the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
According to them, while they attended induction training in Abuja from September to December 2023, salary payments only began in March 2024. This has left a backlog of arrears covering August to December 2023 and January to February 2024, which remains unpaid.
Several officers, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on talking to the press, stated they have been waiting for their salary arrears for over 10 months since their recruitment. They pointed out that despite their IPPIS registration, they have yet to be fully compensated for their service during that period.
When asked about the delay, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Kenneth Udo, attributed the issue to an omission within the IPPIS system. He assured that efforts were underway to rectify the situation, and that the arrears would be paid by the end of July 2024.
“We will surely rectify it; hopefully, by the end of this month (July), the affected officers will receive their money. It is going to be rectified; we are on top of it,” Udo stated at the time.
However, despite these assurances, the officers are yet to receive their arrears as of October 2024, three months after the promised date. To compound their frustration, they allege that officers recruited after them have already received their full salary arrears.
An officer currently serving at the Ikoyi command expressed dismay at the discrepancy. “Those of us who received employment letters in August 2023, under former Comptroller General Wura Adepoju, have yet to be paid our salary arrears, whereas those employed by the current Comptroller General, Kemi Nandap, have been paid in full, including six months’ arrears.”
The officers are now urging President Tinubu to step in and ensure they are paid what is owed to them, stressing that they should not be denied their entitlements.
In response, Udo reaffirmed that the issue is being addressed and that the service is working to ensure that all affected officers receive their overdue payments.
