Nigerian Immigration Service officers posted to foreign missions have cried out over unpaid salaries and allowances for 14 months, saying they are struggling to survive in countries with high living costs.
The officers said their last payment was in June 2024 and accused the government of neglect, despite the service generating revenue for the country.
One of the affected officers, who asked not to be named, said, “We are owed about 14 months salaries and other allowances now. The last time I received a single payment was June 2024. Life is hard in a very expensive country where I was posted.”
Another officer expressed frustration, saying, “It will interest you to know that there are about five MDAs at the foreign mission sent by the federal government. None of these agencies are owed more than three months but only Immigration Services, yet we are generating revenue both directly and indirectly to the government apart from the security of the country.”
Some officers said they had sent their families back to Nigeria because they could no longer cater for them abroad. Others now depend on relatives at home for support.
“Now we are in a serious dilemma, and we cannot complain, neither can we report or voice out, because that will amount to indiscipline,” another officer said. “But as we continue keeping quiet, we are dying silently, and worse still we are sending a very wrong and dangerous signal that all is well with us, while it is not.”
Despite their hardship, the officers said they have continued to maintain professionalism and integrity, with no record of extortion or misconduct among those deployed abroad.
When contacted, the Service Public Relations Officer, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, AS Akinlabi, described the matter as an “internal issue.”
“The Service is working on resolving it. Very soon, they will have no cause to complain because the Service is resolving it,” Akinlabi said
