By Hamisu Muhammad
There is concern over the whereabouts of the benefits of the dead members of staff of the Department of State Security (DSS) who lost their lives while fighting insurgencies across the country from 2013 to date.
Also at stake is the wherea-bouts of other civil servants under the new group life assurance scheme.
While the families of the deceased people are waiting to receive the benefits of their dead ones, government officials are yet to ascertain the whereabouts of the funds, Daily Trust has gathered.
Some officials, who preferred to remain anonymous, blamed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) for withholding the annual premium due to the insurance companies handling the group life assurance scheme for civil and public servants, including the security officials.
Under the scheme which kicked off in 2008, the federal government was expected to pay the premium, annually, to the insurance companies who will then pay death benefits to the families of the policy holders that die within a particular year.
The 2013 budget allocation to compensate families of those who died in the year was approved for payment since June last year but it is still being withheld at the OAGF, the officials claimed.
Other paramilitary bodies also affected include the Nigerian Custom Services, Nigerian Immigration Service, Nigeria Prison Services, Fire Services and the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The ministries of power and works are also affected.
The implication of the non-payment of the insurance premium for these workers is that their families, like the families of other civil and public servants killed in 2013, will not be able to collect their death benefits.
Findings at the Budget Office of the Federation showed that the OAGF still did not honour the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) issued by the finance finister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala since June 2013 to pay the insurance premium for the group life assurance cover procured by the federal government for workers in the mentioned agencies.
When contacted, the spokesman of the OAGF, Mr. Charles Nwodo, said: "The OAGF processed warrants and Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) as issued by the Budget Office of the Federation. From our record, there are no outstanding AIEs in favour of Security Agents Insurance Premium since June 2013.
"However, if you are aware of any, you may wish to provide the AIE details, most especially it's batch number so that this office can provide you the payment mandate releasing such fund."
Source Daily Trust
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