Jubilation as FG clears severance allowances for 1,330 NIS retirees

 

The Federal Government has cleared the 17-year outstanding severance allowances for 1,330 officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service who retired between 2006 and 2007.

At a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dasuki Arabi, announced that 885 officers had been verified and paid their outstanding benefits following a verification exercise conducted across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

Arabi noted that the exercise, which began on November 27, 2023, and ended on January 20, 2024, was the result of efforts by the BPSR, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Federal Civil Service Commission, and Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

“We have finally resolved the outstanding severance benefits of 1,330 disengaged officers from the 2006/2007 reform programme. This achievement serves as a beacon of hope for other parastatals and MDAs facing similar challenges,” Arabi added.

Arabi equally thanked the FG for its “unwavering commitment to addressing this long-standing issue, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

He noted that 17 verified officers could not be paid due to some inconsistencies in their account details, but are being addressed by the stakeholders’ committee.