By Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi
Kaduna, Northwestern Nigeria – 400 contract staff of the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) have alleged that the organisation’s management short-changed the payment of their salaries by over 50% while in service.
They therefore called on the presidency to wade into the issue promptly to save their lives and their families.
In a document obtained by our reporter, they alleged that they were only paid 41% of their said salaries during the period they worked as outsourced staff to NIRSAL by their previous employers and even when they were directly under company employment as contract staff.
The document further alleged that the variance representing 59% of their salaries has been suppressed over time, adding that they have been demoralised and disgruntled by the continuous injustice meted out to them despite all efforts to seek redress.
Daily Episode also gathered that precisely in April 2023, the office of the Auditor-General of the federation deployed Auditors to conduct spot assessment on these salary discrepancies, and have made available recommendations in their report.
In the document, they said, “We appeal to your office ( office of the CBN Governor) as the Chairman of the Board of NIRSAL Plc to investigate this matter to establish the true position of our remuneration.”
Meanwhile, the disengaged staff queried the rationale behind their
sack, just as they disclosed that the action would amount to defrauding the country while the nation continues to borrow.
“Why should the company sack over 400 contract staff who coordinated ABP loan disbursements to thousands of farmers across the country and have first-hand information about the beneficiaries and their addresses?”
In the document they further asked that “how will those loans be recovered? Are they going to waste while Nigeria keeps borrowing from the World Bank?
“Why has no one addressed issues of contract staff’s salary discrepancies between 2017 and 2024 under Aliyu Abdulhameed and Abbas Masanawa era as MDs, despite all efforts made?
“Rather, the Board of NIRSAL Plc ordered the retrenchment of over 400 contract staff to save cost. Meanwhile, Ms. Daphne Dafione who doubles in as CBN consultant and Board Member of NIRSAL Plc was recently alleged to be earning N35m monthly in salary.”
Sources close to the matter revealed that whistleblowers who exposed the mismanagement of funds were subjected to maltreatment, witch-hunting, and victimization. Some were even sacked and forced to go into hiding due to threats to their personal lives.
Examples include Olalekan Olusanya, a former Head of Internal Audit, and Olusola Omole, a former Head of the Technical Coordinating Unit, Noel Dilli, a field officer and Coordinator of Nasarawa State, Kesman Samson, Murtala Mohamud who were coordinators of Adamawa and Gombe state.
When contacted, the Head of Corporate Communications, Jude Nnadozie explained that: ” the contract of the disengaged contract staff came to an end last year, and NIRSAL could not continue with their services due to lack of resources,” adding that such action was not limited to the organisation alone.
On the issue of the contract staff being short-changed, the Head of Corporate Communications declined to talk on the issue.
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