FG’s Workers Lament Non-payment of 17 Months’ Salaries

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Some staff members of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies (NBAIS) have cried out over salary arrears of over 17 months owed them by the board.

NBAIS is under the Federal Ministry of Education. The affected staff members, numbering over 700, are calling on relevant authorities to save their souls and urge the board to pay their salaries.

Some of the staff said they had fulfilled all conditions required of them, particularly capturing on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) for the payment of salary, but to no avail.

They also alleged that some staff members were selected and paid their salaries.

Meanwhile, when contacted, the Information Officer of NBAIS, Muhammad Y. Sambo confirmed the issue of salary arrears, saying the board “has no reason to withhold any staff salary if the government releases it.”

Speaking on behalf of the affected workers, the Chairman and Secretary of the group, Muhammad Suleiman and Benjamin Ishiaka respectively said: “We have been employed since January 2021 by the National Board for Arabic & Islamic studies (NBAIS).

“We were adequately captured into the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) on December 2021 and it is very unfortunate to this day only few persons who constitutes about 30 percent of employed staff received their salary, while the remaining 70 per cent were left with their fate hanging in the air and a backlog of 17 months of outstanding salary.

“This has brought untold hardships and great damage to us and our families, we lost the job we were managing to sustain ourselves, thinking a better opportunity had come when we took appointment with NBAIS.

“At some points, we were asked by the Human Resources Department to submit a copy of the appointment letter and IPPIS slip for payment against the month of August 2021 which did not materialise and since then, things have become stagnant. No salary or any other information from the board.

“However, after careful consultation and investigation, we were able to see an approval letter from the president and the ministry of education for our recruitment, upon mounting pressure, HR alleged that our problem is from the budget office not with the board, likewise we received another opposite information from the budget office which is contradicting.

“It is on this note that we are appealing to the press to kindly investigate the matter to save our souls and to have our salary together with arrears. We fail to see the reason why some (the elite) were selected and got paid, but we strongly believe that this is the government’s renewed hope that an ordinary man in the street shall see better days.”