The staff asserted that the demand for their withheld allowances and to join IPPIS had led to a series of victimisation and unlawful arrests of workers.
Workers at the Defence Industries of Nigeria (DICON) have called on the President Bola Tinubu-led government to carry out comprehensive investigation into DICON’s methods of salary payment and other financial matters.
The staff alleged that DICON’s management still received salaries of several of their colleagues who had retired or resigned from service.
They lamented that their colleagues continued to receive notifications of their federal government contribution from their Pension Fund Administrators (PFA), which simply meant that DICON was still receiving their salaries and making contributions on their behalf.
This was contained in an open letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, and obtained by SaharaReporters on Saturday where they noted that there were individuals who were not officially part of DICON but included in DICON’s payroll.
The staff asserted that the demand for their withheld allowances and to join IPPIS had led to a series of victimisation and unlawful arrests of workers.
The statement reads in part; “The staff at DICON respectfully implore you, through our Honorable Minister of Defence, to consider the issue of the “DICON Scarce Skill.” In 2008, the Federal Government of Nigeria introduced a special allowance known as the Scarce Skill Allowance, recognising the unique and limited nature of the skills required within DICON, primarily related to the production of arms and ammunition. These specialized skills are not easily transferable to other sectors, making it challenging for DICON staff to secure employment elsewhere or find purpose upon retirement.
“Regrettably, we must bring to your attention that this allowance has been discontinued since 2009, without any official documentation. Moreover, various other entitlements, including promotion arrears, minimum wage arrears, and peculiar allowance, have been consistently denied, or withheld from DICON employees. This unfortunate situation stems from our management’s reluctance to adopt the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), primarily due to the fraudulent “ghost workers” in our payroll.
“We wish to highlight an alarming issue as well; several of our colleagues who have resigned from DICON and joined other government agencies or ventured into the private sector have continued to receive notifications of their federal government contribution from their Pension Fund Administrators (PFA), which simply means that DICON is still receiving their salaries and making contributions on their behalf.
“Furthermore, there are instances of individuals who are not officially part of DICON but have been included in DICON’s payroll, which also is a means with which the management fraudulently enrich themselves.
“Wastage like this should not be tolerated in a country striving for economic growth. We wish that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted into DICON’s methods of salary payment and other financial matters.”
“We kindly request your intervention in addressing these pressing concerns to ensure that DICON staff are not exempted from the N35,000 federal government provisional wage award and also restore the rights and allowances of DICON staff who are passing through worst financial difficulties in this current economic situation of our nation,” the statement added.
SAHARA REPORTERS
