The Nasarawa State Government has refuted claims that it directed all civil servants in the state to change their salary accounts from their personal accounts to the government-approved bank.
It was gathered that the directive had brought hardship upon the state workers as they have yet to receive their salaries for April and May due to failure to comply with the directive.
Findings by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that several banks where the civil servants had been receiving their salaries suffered of low patronage due to the withdrawal by civil servants in the state, based on the directive.
Some bank officials, who did not want their names in the print, told our correspondent that the directive by the state government had cost them many of their customers.
One of the affected civil servants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SUNDAY PUNCH that since she was employed by the state government, “I have been receiving my salary via UBA, but when the government directive came, I didn’t have any option but to open another bank account with Skye Bank.”
A civil servant, who has a salary account with First Bank, similarly complained that the state government’s directive forced him to open an account with Skye bank and that his April and May salaries had not been paid, due to non-compliance with government directive.
When contacted, the state Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Ramotu Ajuji, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that she was aware of the change of bank accounts, but denied knowledge of the source of the directive.
“In fact, I am not aware of that. I only heard it as a rumour and I am investigating it. I have already issued a memo to that effect and I am still waiting for the response in order to ascertain exactly what happened.
“The state government can never compel any of the staff of the Ministry for Education and cannot force anybody to open account from anywhere,” she said.