Some operatives of the FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services, also known as the Vehicle Inspection of Office, have lamented the non-payment of salaries, four years after their recruitment into the service.
DAILY NIGERIAN gathered that the directorate had in 2019 employed about 50 junior staff who are SSCE, diploma, and NCE holders.
But our correspondent gathered that these staff are yet to start receiving their salaries despite working for the directorate for four years.
After receiving several complaints from some of the affected personnel, a civil society organization in Abuja, the Common Justice Foundation, intervened by sending a Freedom of Information, FOI, request to the Director of the FCT Road Traffic Service.
The NGO requested the service to furnish it with the payment of salaries of the staff employed in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
The letter, which was signed by its national coordinator, Peter Samuel-Yakubu, said it was surprised to discover that those recruited in subsequent years have been receiving their salaries while the 2019 batch is still left out.
The FOI request read: “You may recall that from 2019 to 2020, your organization employed and deployed staff who are still working, and we receipt many complaints from those staff that their salaries were witifully withheld and never been paid even once while those employed in 2021 were receiving salaries.”
“In the light of above, we request that our office be furnished with detailed information with respect to the payment of salaries of the staff employed from 2019, 2020, and 2021.
“Kindly ensure that we are furnished with the requested detailed information within 7 (Seven) days of the receipt of this letter in accordance with the provisions of Sections 1, 3, and 4 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011.”
The foundation, therefore, threatened to file a lawsuit if the service failed to comply with its request.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the FCT VIO, Kalu Emetu, declined comment, saying that the FOI request had not been minuted to his office.
