A staff of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has told FIJ that he survived on loans in order to transport himself to work and pay his bills during the first six months of his employment because the NIS failed to pay salaries for that period.

It has been a year since the 2023 recruits of the NIS were employed, but they have only received payments for six of the 12 months they have worked.

These staff were informed by the NIS that they would receive their first salaries three months from their employment date.

If the NIS had kepts its promise, they would have received their first salaries in October that year, but it instead paid the 2023 recruits their first salaries in March, which was eight months after they were employed.

Emeka (not real name), an NIS staff who was recruited in August 2023, told FIJ the recruits received their first salaries in March, and are being owed salaries for October, November and December 2023, as well as salaries for January and February.

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“I got employed into the Nigeria Immigration Service as a commissioned officer and my employment letter is dated August 15, 2023,” Emeka told FIJ.

“This applies to every other officer who was recruited during the 2023 recruitment exercise.

“We were supposed to receive our salaries three months after the date of our employment, but unfortunately we were not paid for the first six months after employment. The first salary we received was in March.”

Emeka also told FIJ that the non-payment of their first six months’ salaries had complicated life, especially with the current harsh economic realities.

Another NIS staff who was recruited in 2023 told FIJ that their training allowances were also withheld.

“I spoke with some colleagues who were recruited in 2021. They said their training allowances have also not been paid,” he said.

“If the staff who were employed in 2021 haven’t received their training allowances, there’s little hope for those of us who recently completed trainings.”

When FIJ asked how he was able to transport himself to work for the first six months, he said he relied on loans.

“I survived on loans from family and friends and some quick loan apps. If the arrears are eventually paid, almost everything will be going to pay off my debts because it hasn’t been easy.”

FIJ also learned that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) did their 2023 recruitment exercise at about the same time as the NIS; NSCDC owed their new staff for the first two months after employment, but subsequently released their withheld salaries.

Emeka and some of his colleagues expressed conviction that their salaries are stuck between top officials of the NIS and the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), the platform responsible for the payment of civil servants’ salaries, including NIS staff.

FIJ emailed NIS on Friday, but got no response as of press time.
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