By David Kabiyesi
Officials of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have threatened to shun Saturday’s gubernatorial and National Assembly elections if backlogs of their election duty allowances is not paid.
The spokesperson of the body who pleaded anonymity said the officers have resolved to sit back at home on Saturday if the allowances is not settled.
“Our counterparts in the Ministry of Interior have been paid. Our friends in the Civil Defence have been paid. Our friends in the Army and the Police have also been paid.
“I don’t know why our case is different. It is not fair. The money has been paid, but some ‘big men’ in the Service have connived to sit on the money so that after some time, they will share the funds, as they did in the 2019 general elections.
“Officers are to receive N70,000 each, while junior ranks are to receive N30,000 each. We spent our money on hotel accommodation during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections. We spent our money on transportation and feeding. Yet, the Service is preaching the ethics of the job.
“They failed to do the needful. So, how will a hungry official not compromise during elections? The Federal Government is talking of credible elections, yet it does not care about the welfare of the officers assisting in the conduct of the elections.
“There is no way a hungry official, who has no hope of receiving his allowances, will not compromise during the elections. We should be withdrawn from election duty, instead of sending us without money and with an empty stomach.
“We can’t talk because when you talk, you will be disciplined. There are many things happening in the Service that we have been condoning, but this time around, we want to start pouring out our minds. For instance, if you visit our offices, especially in Lagos State Command, you will see officers, who were transferred from other states, sleeping in offices because their transfer allowances have not been paid.
“It is an eyesore to see people cooking in offices. Sleeping in the office is against the Immigration Act, but the authority cannot do anything about it because it has failed in its duty of paying them their allowances. Some of us have been in the same rank for over 20 years without promotion.
“The authority conducted a promotion examination in 2021, but the results have not been released, because the authority doesn’t want to pay promotion allowances. Let the authority release the outcome.
He continued: “We are going through hell. Some of us are on salary of N45,000. An Inspector of Immigration receives N82,000, while his counterpart in the Nigeria Customs Service earns more than N200,000 and the authority keeps lecturing us on ethics.” he lamented
