Office of the Nigeria’s Accountant General is at
loggerheads with eight banks for unauthorised
withholding of over N700million paid in error into
the accounts of some former workers of the
Nigeria Airways in their banks.
The unprofessional conduct of the banks in not
returning the huge sum paid in error into accounts
of ex – Airways workers is creating tension
between the banks and the office of Accountant
General.
The N700 million represented the extra money
that was mistakenly paid into the account of
some of the former workers who were paid twice
by the government.
The payment came after a verification exercise on
the former workers of the defunct national carrier.
A source hinted that the N700 million
overpayment, was part of the N22 billion
approved by government as the final N45 billion
severance entitlements approved for former
workers of liquidated Nigeria Airways Limited.
A source hinted that efforts made by the
Accountant General and the National Union of
Pensioners (NUP), representatives of the workers
to make the banks refund the money to the
Accountant General’s office has not yielded
positive results.
Rather than return the N700 million into the
accounts of the affected workers, the banks have
failed and are allegedly trading with the money.
The eight banks affected include: the First Bank
which is said to be in possession of the lion share
of 80 per cent of the money in question.
Other banks include: Diamond, Fidelity, Polaris,
Zenith, Stanbic and Ecobank.
While the eight banks failed to comply with the
agreement to refund the money, few others are
said to have voluntarily returned the money
mistakenly paid into the accounts.
The banks that have fully refunded the money
are: GTB, Keystone, Standard Chartered, Unity
and UBA.
While the office of the accountant General was
said to be unhappy with the banks, the union
representatives of the former airline workers have
given the banks one-week ultimatum which ends
this week to return the money.
Former workers of Airways said should the banks
fail to return the money this week, they will picket
the banks first thing next Monday.
The refusal of the banks to refund the money is
said to be slowing down the ongoing payment of
the last batch of the former workers entitlements.
source: thenationonlineng.net/eight-banks-withhold-n700m-overpaid-ex-airways-workers/
