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 Integrated Payroll a nd Personnel Information System (IPPIS) to divert check-off dues deducted from the salaries of its members.
The union alleged that a former staff member of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Mr Bola Audu, working with others, compromised its banking details on the government payroll platform and replaced its legitimate account with an allegedly fraudulent account.
According to ASCSN, the alleged manipulation resulted in check-off dues deducted from members’ salaries in October 2022 and January 2023 being remitted into the substituted account instead of the union’s official account.
The union described the alleged diversion as a serious breach of trust and abuse of a government payroll system, stressing that check-off dues deducted from workers’ salaries are funds belonging to the Association and are administered in accordance with its constitution.
ASCSN said it is currently reconciling records obtained from IPPIS and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to determine the exact amount allegedly diverted.
The union, which has members across federal ministries, departments and agencies, said its check-off dues are deducted monthly through the government payroll system and subsequently remitted to the Association.
It explained that Rule 34(IV) of its Constitution provides for the allocation of the dues among the various organs of the union to fund operations and services to members.
ASCSN further alleged that the suspected diversion was executed in a manner intended to conceal the alteration of its banking information.
It claimed that while deduction descriptions within the payroll system continued to carry the Association’s name, the bank account details were allegedly changed at the point of remittance.
The union said this raised questions about both the beneficiary account and the process through which its banking information was allegedly altered within the government payroll system.
ASCSN also 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 led to the removal of Audu and his associates from the union’s Lagos Secretariat.
The Association maintained that the court proceedings did not confer on Audu the position of its National President.
It further accused Audu and his associates of diverting the union’s common funds and questioned the whereabouts of constitutional rebates due to various organs of the Association.
“That was how Audu diverted and looted our common patrimony,” the union alleged.
ASCSN has therefore called on the EFCC, ICPC and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to investigate the alleged manipulation, identify all persons involved and establish the total amount transferred into the purportedly fraudulent account.
The union is also demanding the recovery and remittance of any funds found to have been diverted into its official account, as well as appropriate sanctions against anyone found culpable.
ASCSN said it was prepared to provide investigators with relevant payroll records, banking documents and other evidence necessary to establish how the alleged transactions occurred.
If established, the allegations could raise broader concerns about internal controls within government payroll systems and safeguards for statutory deductions from public-sector workers, particularly procedures governing changes to beneficiaries’ banking details.
The Association reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and the protection of its members’ financial interests.
Efforts to obtain Audu’s response to the allegations were unsuccessful as of press time.
