TheCable

The ministry of finance says the workers asking for the removal of Kemi Adeosun, minister of finance, are doing so for an “unjust N1.2 billion allowance” cancelled under the last administration.

According to Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, the ministry’s director of information, the joint protest was carried out by some staff of the ministry, office of the accountant-general of the federation and the budget office.

“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,” he said in a statement.

“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.”

The workers, at a protest staged on Monday morning at the ministry, said Adeosun was incompetent, asking for her removal.

The ministry held its ground that it is not owing any legitimate staff salary or allowance, adding that the demands of the staff was not justifiable.

“The Federal Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Budget Office of the Federation, 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 wishes to categorically state that the protests have no justifiable grounds.”