ASCSN Petitions EFCC, ICPC Over Alleged IPPIS Manipulation, Diversion of Workers’ Dues
…Union alleges fake bank account was inserted into payroll system to divert October 2022, January 2023 deductions

By: Michael Mike

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over the alleged manipulation of the Federal Government’s Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to divert statutory deductions belonging to its members.

The union alleged that a former staff member of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Bola Audu, working in concert with others, compromised its banking information on the government payroll platform and substituted the Association’s legitimate account with an allegedly fraudulent account.

According to ASCSN, the alleged manipulation resulted in check-off dues deducted from the salaries of its members in October 2022 and January 2023 being remitted into the substituted account rather than the Association’s official account.

The union described the development as a serious breach of trust and an alleged abuse of a government payroll system, insisting that check-off dues deducted from workers’ salaries are not personal funds but monies belonging to the Association and governed by its constitution.

ASCSN said it is currently reconciling records from IPPIS and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to establish the precise amount allegedly diverted.

The Association, one of Nigeria’s major public-sector trade unions, has membership across federal ministries, departments and agencies. Its check-off dues are deducted monthly from members’ salaries through the government payroll system and subsequently remitted to the union.

The union said its Constitution, particularly Rule 34(IV), provides for the allocation of the dues among the various organs of the Association to support its operations and services to members.

ASCSN alleged that the suspected diversion was carried out through a method designed to conceal the change in banking details.

It claimed that the deduction descriptions continued to bear the Association’s name within the payroll process, but that the bank details were allegedly switched to the purportedly fraudulent account at the point of remittance.

The union said the alleged scheme therefore required investigation not only into the beneficiary account but also into how its banking information was altered within the government payroll system.

ASCSN further linked the allegations to an ongoing dispute involving Audu and the Association, citing recent judgments of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, which it said resulted in the removal of Audu and his associates from the union’s Lagos Secretariat.

The Association also maintained that the court proceedings did not confer on Audu the position of its National President.

The union accused Audu and his associates of diverting its common funds and questioned how the constitutional rebates due to the various organs of the Association were accounted for.

“That was how Audu diverted and looted our common patrimony,” the Association alleged.

ASCSN has consequently called on the EFCC, ICPC and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to investigate the alleged manipulation of its payroll records, identify all persons involved and establish the full amount of money transferred into the allegedly fraudulent account.

It is also demanding the recovery and remittance of all funds found to have been diverted into its official account, as well as appropriate sanctions against anyone found culpable.

The union said it was prepared to provide investigators with relevant payroll, banking and other documentary evidence required to establish what happened to the deductions.

The allegations, if established, could raise wider concerns about controls around government payroll systems and the protection of statutory deductions from public-sector workers, particularly where changes to beneficiaries’ banking information are concerned.

ASCSN said it remained committed to transparency, accountability and the protection of its members’ financial interests.

Efforts to obtain Mr Audu’s response to the allegations were unsuccessful as of press time.

ASCSN Petitions EFCC, ICPC Over Alleged IPPIS Manipulation, Diversion of Workers’ Dues

Strike: Gombe tertiary institutions issue 14-Day ultimatum over unpaid entitlements

By Hajara Usman

The Joint Union of Gombe State Tertiary Institutions (JOUGTIN) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Gombe State Government to address outstanding staff welfare entitlements and implement agreed conditions of service across public tertiary institutions in the state.

The union, comprising the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Senior Staff Union of Colleges of Education in Nigeria (SSUCOEN), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), and Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), issued the ultimatum in a communiqué dated August 17, 2026.

According to the unions, the outstanding issues have persisted despite several engagements with relevant government authorities.

JOUGTIN acknowledged the efforts of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya in supporting tertiary education in the state, but said several critical staff welfare matters remain unresolved.

Among the issues raised are the non-implementation of the consolidated ₦70,000 national minimum wage and its consequential adjustments for staff of public tertiary institutions.

The unions also demanded the implementation of approved 25 per cent and 35 per cent CONPCASS/CONTISS salary adjustments, payment of outstanding consequential adjustments arising from the ₦30,000 minimum wage, and payment of approved wage awards, palliatives and other relief measures introduced in response to economic hardship.

Other demands include the implementation of outstanding staff promotions, payment of promotion arrears, some of which the unions said date back several years, annual salary increments, and the implementation of approved CATA and CONTTA allowances.

JOUGTIN said the continued failure to address the issues had placed a heavy financial burden on workers and their families, while negatively affecting staff morale, productivity and industrial relations in the tertiary education sector.

The union said it had exhausted various avenues of dialogue and constructive engagement before resorting to the 14-day ultimatum.

It therefore called on the state government to take “concrete, verifiable and meaningful steps” towards resolving the outstanding demands within the stipulated period.

JOUGTIN warned that failure to secure satisfactory action within 14 days would compel the unions to commence further legitimate industrial action, including an indefinite strike, without further notice.

The unions, however, said they remained committed to dialogue, mutual respect and peaceful engagement, stressing that the ultimatum was not intended to undermine their relationship with the government.

They appealed to parents, students, traditional and community leaders, civil society organisations and members of the public to understand the circumstances behind their action and support efforts to achieve a lasting resolution.

The unions expressed hope that the government would respond positively to their demands in the interest of industrial harmony, staff welfare, uninterrupted academic activities and the sustainable development of tertiary education in Gombe State.

Strike: Gombe tertiary institutions issue 14-Day ultimatum over unpaid entitlements

Buni calls on emirs to lead peace missions in Yobe

By: Yahaya Wakili

The Executive Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, CON, COMN, has called on the traditional rulers in the state to remain custodians of our heritage and to lead prayers for peace and unity among the citizens of the state.

He said our traditional institutions must continue to promote mutual respect, brotherhood, and peaceful coexistence, noting that the peace and stability we enjoy in Yobe State today must be protected by all of us.

The governor stated this today at Potiskum, the headquarters of the Fika emirate council, while attending a special prayer session marking the 70th birthday anniversary of the Emir of Fika and Chairman of the Yobe State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Alhaji Dr. Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa, CON, CFR.

The Yobe State APC gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Baba Mallam Wali MNI, FCAN, ably represented the governor. The emirate offered prayers for the continued peace, unity, and prosperity of Yobe State and the success of Governor Buni and the incoming governor, inshallah, Alhaji Baba Malam Wali MNI FCAN.

In his remarks, His Royal Father, the emir of Fika, Alhaji Dr. Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa, CON, CFR, thanked His Excellency, Governor Mai Mala Buni, CON, COMN, for his support and called on citizens to be law-abiding, adding that there is no wealth greater than peace.

The emir also called on the people to pray for a bumper harvest this year’s farming season, as well as charged them to love one another and always promote peace in all their endeavors.

Buni calls on emirs to lead peace missions in Yobe