Finance Ministry condemns staff protest over special overtime allowance

The Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Budget Office of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, have condemned a protest staged by staff of the above mentioned ministry and offices today demanding for the payment of some allowances.

Director of Information of the ministry, Mr Salisu Na’inna Dambatta in a press statement, said what they were demanding for was an unofficial allowance totalling N1.2 billion.

According to him, the Management wishes to state as follows: “The payment of what the protesting staff called a Special Overtime (SOT), was stopped by the last administration in 2014 on the ground that it was not listed in any extant government Circular, Financial Regulations or the Public Service Rules;

“The sum of N1.2 billion computed by the staff union for payment could not have been budgeted for in 2016 in the first place, not only  because of the paucity of funds, but  also the fact that the SOT allowance was not part of the remuneration in the Federal Public Service; and

“The Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Budget Office of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, do not individually or collectively, owe any of their personnel their salaries”.

In view of the foregone, the Management of the Federal Ministry of Finance stated that the protest has no justifiable grounds.

The civil servants of the ministry shut down the headquarters of the ministry in Abuja today over what they described as poor welfare since the assumption of office of the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

They expressed disappointment over the non payment of the entitlements due to them, adding that except their demands are met; they would not stop the protest.

They alleged that unlike in the past where they were entitled to overtime allowances, training and other welfare packages, such were no longer forthcoming.