From Abel Leonard, lafia
Adhoc staff of National Population Commission, NPC who participated in the recent population trial census in Nasarawa State have appealed to the Chairman of the commission to intervene to ensure immediate payment of their allowances.
Recall that In Nasarawa State, the National Population Commission, NPC nationwide trial census took place between 13 and 30 July 2022 was conducted by over 4000 field functionaries engaged as adhoc staff.
However, over three months after the exercise which was conducted in Karu Local Government area of the state,some of the adhoc staff who participated in the trial census said they had not been paid their allowances.
The adhoc staff who are mostly youths mobilized themselves at different locations in Keffi, Akwanga and Doma local government areas displaying placards with statements such as NPC You have Failed Us! NPC Please Pay Us Our Allowances . We Worked for it. NPC You have rendered Us Bankrupt!
Speaking with Saturday Sun Correspondent, Spokesperson for the adhoc staff in Keffi zone Mr John Adigidzi who said he served as enumerator during the trial census stated that most of their colleagues were paid immediately after the exercise but wondered why NPC had not paid them since the trial census was over three months ago.
Another enumerator from Akwanga Local Government area, Miss Fatima Abdullahi explained that considering the sacrifices and hardships they faced throughout the trial census, they expected NPC to reciprocate their efforts by paying them their entitlements not otherwise.
She said, “I had leg injury during the training for the trial census and I have been in pains since we finished the work. I borrowed money to feed and transport myself throughout the census but NPC has refused to pay my training and field allowances . My creditors are not happy with me.”
Also, a supervisor during the trial census Mr Yahaya Ayinaka who was seen mobilizing his colleagues at the Doma local government secretariat called on the National Population Commission NPC to carry out thorough investigations into all financial transactions during the trial census.
According to Mr Ayinaka, ” Some of our colleagues who participated in the trial census were through POS and transfer through personal accounts. These are some the reasons some of us were not paid. NPC should live up to the much talked about digital service they said they had adopted.”
When the Nasarawa State Director, National Population Commission, Alhaji Umar Tafida was contacted, he confirmed that over 250 adhoc staff who participated in the trial census had not been paid their allowances.
He called on the affected adhoc staff to be calm while the commission was taking steps towards addressing the issue.
Mr. Tafida however added that the non payment of some of the adhoc staff was as a result of duplication of payment for some of the staff due to human error.