According to them, the finance officers intentionally refused to update their records despite promotion, failed to pay them full salaries and arrears.
Some aggrieved personnel of the Nigerian Army are complaining about the non-payment of their promotion allowances by the Nigerian Army Finance Corps.
The soldiers in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari accused their colleagues in the finance department of corruption and extortion.
Copied in the letter titled “Petition Against Nigeria Army Finance Corp” are; the Vice President of Nigeria, Senate President, National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.
According to them, the finance officers intentionally refused to update their records despite promotion, failed to pay them full salaries and arrears.
“References: harmonised terms and conditions of service soldiers/rating/airmen (revised) 2017.
“Nigerian Army administrative policies and procedures (revised) 2015. headquarters command army record/g1/300/001 dated 1 september 2021. ahq doaa/g1/300/001 dated 2 september 2021
“1-8 div/g1/003 dated 3 september 2021. formations/ units part two orders for promotion dated 1 september 2021. with due respect and honor, we soldiers who are the pillar of the armed forces and Nigeria as a whole humbly request a total sanctioning of some corrupt personnel of Nigerian Army Finance Corps (NAFC) who are charged with the responsibility of all financial activities in the Nigerian Army.
“Reference (a) covers the criteria for promotion, which is clearly stated there that all soldiers must have completed and pass his professional course which he/she must have trade, and that no soldier is to be promoted without passing the professional course for the next grade, (b) under the cover of (a) states that promotion is part of administrative policies made by the army authority.
“(c) Which states that command army record who thoroughly vetted and scrutinised the promotion list to make sure that all soldiers have trade to be qualified for promotion 2021 which include trade of proficiency. after all this checking, send the promotion list to AHD DOAA, (d) under the cover of (c) released the list of promotion soldiers 2021 as approved by the chief of army staff and specifically direct NAFC to update the affected soldiers’ records accordingly, (e) under the cover of (d), sent this same soldiers’ promotion list 2021 to NAFC AFC, (f) under the covers of (c, d, e) respectively which is units/formations/commands issues out part two orders for promotion of soldiers 2021 which contains all the trades of proficiency for the affected soldiers sent to NAFC.
“Promotions/advancement is awarded by the service in recognition of hard work, efficiency and also as a special reward for act of gallantry or exceptional performance. however, we soldiers continuously observed a worrisome trend that even when references (a, c, d, e, and f) respectively cover the trades of all promoted soldiers 2021, the officers and soldiers of nigerian army finance corps have intentionally refused to act (fraud) to pay the arrears, full salary, update the promoted soldier record as directed accordingly.
“A soldier waited for 5 years, 6 years to be promoted to be promoted to the next rank, and after the promotion has been granted by COAS, NAFC will pay N1000, N1300, N2000, even some did not receive anything as arrears, who complained but NAFC said the soldiers’ pay slip is not updated with his/her trade.
“NAFC received same list for promotion that also contain the trade of all promoted soldiers, but refused to update the trade to fraudulently deduct all payments meant for soldiers. N300 was added to a soldier’s salary that waited for 5, 6 years to be promoted to the next rank. All manipulation is being done by personnel of NAFC.
“When time for payment of salary comes, officers of NAFC will refuse to pay soldiers on time, just to get cash from banks for leaving the cheques with them; making soldiers and their families to suffer forgetting that this is the only source of income for personnel.
“This act and trend often creates negative impacts on operations, administration, kills morals and fighting efficiency of soldiers. The most corrupt finance officers are the ones in 2, 3, 1 and 81 divisions. consequently, we soldiers of Nigerian Army plead to all addressees to please listen to our cry on this issue of broad daylight extortion and direct the nafc to order all divisions finance officers to cross check and pay all necessary amounts deducted as regards soldiers promoted 2021.
“They should also update the trade in their various pay slip to read the trade they were used to promote the soldiers accordingly. Thanks so much, please accept the assurance of all soldiers of Nigerian Army while we await the prompt directive.”