The staff of Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), celebrated the Christmas festivities without two months’ salaries, unlike other Federal Government workers.
It was gathered that on December 3, the commission, which is in charge of sharing revenue allocation among the three tiers of government, paid staff salaries for only October, despite other Federal Government workers receiving their December salaries on the 22nd of the month.
Some staff of the commission, who spoke to newsmen, said they were celebrating the festivities without funds to provide food for their families, especially as their salaries have been delayed.
A senior staff member said that the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for December has been set up, “but it is so unfortunate that we have not been paid November salaries. Other Federal Government ministries are receiving their salaries as and when due.”
Another staffof the commission said that the issue of non-payment of salaries was due to the poor budget presentation of the commission in the 2021 appropriation.
The staff said the issue of the non-payment of two months’ salaries and delay of October salary was due to the negligence of financial experts in the commission, including the Director of Finance and Accounting.
He alleged that the true figure of staff take home was not properly presented in the 2021 budget.
The RMAFC, according to the staff, was short-changed by the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information System (IPPIS).
“Nobody was alerted until the dying minute, from when they realised that they will not be paid from September or October, and that is when they started raising alarm and we started running helter-skelter but we are still here.
“Our staff are seriously suffering. Unfortunately, we don’t have commissioners that can protect the commission. They are only representing their pocket, forgetting that issues relating to staff matters are not considered.
“We have different committees, the Personal Matters Committee, whose function is on personal matters. Now, the staff are suffering. As I am talking to you, the meetings they are having is on of trivial matters.”
Meanwhile, efforts to get the reaction of the RMAFC staff union Chairman, Amanabo Josiah, did not yield results as his phone was not answered.
When contacted, the Director of Finance and Accounting at the RMAFC, Mallam Baliatu Iliasu denied the accusation that the non-payment of staff salaries was due to his negligence or that of his department.
He claimed that the challenge emanated from the IPPIS payment system which was responsible for the disbursement of salaries.
“The IPPIS pay salaries, we don’t prepare payroll or anything; ours is just to receive salaries at the end of the month.”
Iliasu divulged that the minister of finance has set up a committee “but they didn’t give us the report about it. We will try to find out where the problem is.”