Delay in payment of Armed Forces salaries caused by lockdown – Accountant General

The office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OGAF) has said that the delay in payment of salaries to members of the armed forces and other uniformed security personnel was a result of coronavirus lockdown in the country

According to a statement by Mr. Henshaw Ogubike, Director of Information, Press and Public Relations the OAGF also said that as a result of the implementation of the (IPPIS) the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System Nigeria has saved the sum of N361billion .

,The statement said “According to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) Office, the delay in the salary payment was due to the unexpected lockdown in the country which led to late submission of variations by the Agencies concerned and the need to accommodate their inputs in the April payroll accordingly”. 

“That staff of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) are competent professionals who have demonstrated the will and capacity to get the job done in line with the presidential directives, despite distractions and opposition from some quarters whose objective is to sabotage the government policy that has saved the nation over N361 billion.  

Prior to the issuance of the statement, the delay in payment which coincided with hardship experienced by many families and dependants of these personnel, since most of them are paid through cheques authorized by their breadwinners, had expressed misgivings that delay in payment was increasing the hardship.

Consequently, insiders and military observers who fear that this situation if allowed to continue, may affect moral and concentration of security personnel fighting and tackling the myriads of security and other national threats confronting the nation, suggested certain actions from the Federal government.

Some even wondered why this situation was happening at this period when security agencies, especially those in theatre of operations, were in high moral, clearing enemy locations and focussed on finally defeating terrorists from Nigerian territory.

Investigations however showed that the officials and personnel in question have started receiving alerts of salariy payments from Saturday  May  9, 2020.

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