Some officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) deployed for the recently concluded Osun State governorship election have accused the service authorities of delaying the payment of their special duty allowances.
The officers alleged that about N120 million was released for the election deployment, but that they were yet to receive their payments despite completing their assignments.
A source within the NIS told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that personnel deployed from the Osun State Command were becoming increasingly frustrated over the alleged delay by both the state command and the NIS headquarters in Abuja.
According to the source, funds for the election operation were reportedly paid into the NIS account by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), while another portion was allegedly provided by the Osun State Government.
The source claimed that some officers had to borrow money to cover transportation and other expenses while travelling to their deployment locations.
“It was said that some officers borrowed money to enable them to go to their deployment area,” the source said.
The source further alleged that neither the Osun State Command nor the NIS headquarters had resolved the payment issue despite the conclusion of the electoral exercise.
The delay has reportedly raised concerns among personnel about the management and disbursement of funds earmarked for the election operation.
However, the NIS spokesperson in Osun State, DSI Abiola Anjorin, confirmed that payments to personnel deployed for the election were still being processed.
Anjorin said the delay was not peculiar to the NIS, adding that other agencies involved in the election deployment were also experiencing similar issues.
“This is not peculiar to NIS officials alone; other agencies too have similar issues. Hence, it is a process, and with the information received, they are going to be paid very soon as Service Headquarters is working on it,” he said.
The allegation comes amid reports of delayed payment of allowances to security personnel deployed for the August 15 Osun governorship election.
Personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed for the election had also reportedly complained about delays in receiving their special duty allowances.
The concerns from officers of both agencies have raised questions about the timely disbursement of funds for election-related security operations, particularly for personnel who incur transportation and other expenses during deployment.
For the affected NIS personnel, the delay means some officers remain out of pocket after completing their electoral assignments, while the authorities continue processing the payments.
