Investigations have revealed how over the years, Public Servants of the Federal Government have been denied of their hotel allowances and transportation fare as provided for in the Public Service Rules (PSR)
Almost all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies have stopped paying Public Servants the 28 days hotel allowances and transportation fare when they are employed newly or transferred to other stations.
Staff of Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Immigration services, Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NIS), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC,) and many other Agencies and Departments have decried nonpayment of these allowances, stating that they sleep in their offices or squat with relatives when they are on transfer to their new stations.
Also, those employed newly are being denied their 28 days hotel allowances and transportation fares, when they go to assume duties in their places of work.
Some of the workers accused the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Office of the Head of Service Federation (OHCSF) and Heads of the MDAs of misappropriating the funds for transfer of staff.
It would be recalled that not long ago, the former Accountant General of the Federation was accused of embezzling N109 billion. Some of the Public Servants spoken to, said such monies were meant for staff allowances and transportation fares.
Under the Public Services Rule (PSR) 130105, Officers on posting/Transfer or on assumption of duty on new appointment at their new station different from their city/town of domicile shall be entitled to transport fare for self, spouse and a maximum of four children. In addition, they shall be eligible for hotel accommodation for the first 28 days or an allowance for the first 28 days in lieu of hotel accommodation, as specified in the extant circular.
Unfortunately, this has not been so in the MDAs as officers go on transfer or go for assumption of duty without these allowances and fares.
An officer, who works in the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) said, “you dare not mention it. You would be reminded the need for you to thank God for having a job in the first place.”
Another officer from NSCDC, who also alluded to the fact that these allowances were not being paid, said, “if you are lucky, the management might just approve any amount of money less than what you are entitled to.”
Under PSR 130102, the following allowances are payable to officers in Federal Public Service: Duty tour allowances; Kilometre Allowances/Transport Allowances; Disengagement allowances; Hotel accommodation allowance; and Estacode allowance.
Under the Estacode supplementation allowances there is: Warm clothing allowance; Overtime Allowance; Local Course allowance; Books allowances; Responsibility allowance; Uniform allowance; Call Duty allowances; Acting Allowances; and Teaching Allowances.
The Categories of staff, who qualify for the Duty Tour Allowances are: An officer on official duty outside his/her station; A staff posted to a new station; and staff on (in-service training) away from his station.
By PSR 130107, “All officers are entitled to airfare allowance depending on the exigencies and availability of airport and with approval of Accounting Officer.
But Transport allowance shall be paid to all officers when travelling to towns and cities where air transport services do not exist at the following rates: Minister/Permanent Secretary is N150.00 per Kilo; GL 15 to GL17 is N75.00 per km; GL 14 and 07 is N55.00 per km; and GL 06 and 01 is N35.00 per km. For the purpose of local running, officers shall be granted 30 per cent of their duty tour allowances in addition to airport taxi, at the prevailing rate.
Duty Tour Allowances as provided in the PSR is granted to enable officers pay for lodging and feeding expenses during tours duly approved by official authority. The rates applicable are as may be specified in the extant circular.
The newly approved Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) rates for Federal Public Officers are as follows: GL 16 – 17 and its equivalent – N37, 500 per night; GL 14 – 15 and its equivalent – N25,000 per night; GL 12 – 13 and its equivalent – N20,000 per night; GL 07 – 10 and its equivalent – N17, 500 per night; GL 05 – 06 and its equivalent – N15,000 per night; and GL 01 – 04 and its equivalent – N10,000 per night.
However, when the OAGF was contacted, it stated that the 28 days hotel allowances have not been discontinued.
Mallam Bawa Mokwa, Director of Information, OAGF said this in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph on the telephone. According to Bawa, the Federal Government has not stopped the payment.
He said: “The payment is statutory for MDAs’ civil servants that are transferred from one location to another. The Ministry or the Agency where the civil servant works is required to process it and send it to OAGF for payment. It’s mandatory payment . But in the event such transfer is at the discretion of a civil servant, he is not entitled to it. I can tell you that the 28 days payment is never discontinued, it’s a statutory, compulsory payment.”
On her part, the spokesperson of the OHCSF, Mrs Eno Olotu, promised to get back to our correspondent after she requested for questions. She however, did not reply to the questions.
It is pertinent to note that the Federal Civil Service Rules in Nigeria, overseen by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), govern the conduct, employment, and management of federal public servants, ensuring due process and probity in government business.
