Workers ground finance ministry over unpaid N1.2bn allowances

Workers at the Federal Ministry of Finance on Monday shut down the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja over their poor welfare conditions since Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun assumed office.

The workers protested in their hundreds and were asking for special overtime allowance amounting to N1.2 billion. 

They alleged that entitlements like overtime allowances, training and other welfare packages were no longer approved since Adeosun’s administration, threatening to continue the protest until their demands are met.

“A lot of people in this ministry are not happy because of poor staff welfare condition and that is the reason why we have all come out to protest for the world to know what has been going on in this ministry,” a protesting worker who would not like mentioned, told BusinessDay.

Another staff explained that all pleas by the workers to the minister to release the said N1.2 billion could not receive any response.

He said none of the allowances being demanded by the workers were new noting that they have always been receiving such for the past 20 years

But the Finance Ministry described as “unjustifiable”, the demand by some staff of the ministry for the payment of special overtime allowance totaling N1.2 billion. 

In a swift reaction, the Ministry stated that the joint protest carried out by some staff of the ministry finance, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation and the Budget office of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as unjustifiable saying the demand for the payment of “Special Overtime allowance totaling N1.2 billion had been stopped since 2014.

 In a statement signed by Salisu Na’Inna Danbatta, the Director of Information of the ministry also argued that while the ministry and it’s parastatals under it owe no personnel any salary arrears, the ministry maintained the SOT allowance was not part of the remuneration in the Federal Public Service. 

 The statement read in part “The payment of what the protesting staff called a Special Overtime (SOT), was stopped by the last administration in 2014 on the ground that it was not listed in any extant government Circular, Financial Regulations or the Public Service Rules;

“The sum of N1.2 billion computed by the staff union for payment could not have been budgeted for in 2016 in the first place, not only  because of the paucity of funds, but  also the fact that the SOT allowance was not part of the remuneration in the Federal Public Service; and

“The Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Budget Office of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, do not individually or collectively, owe any of their personnel their salaries.

“In view of the foregone, the Management of the Federal Ministry of Finance wishes to categorically state that the protests have no justifiable grounds. The statement read.