Officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), who are currently on assignment in different countries abroad, have cried out over the non-payment of their allowances since December 2023.
Some of the officers who spoke with newsmen on conditions of anonymity said the October and November 2023 allowances were paid in March this year.
Speaking about the allowances that cover housing, health, and utility, among others, one of the officers said the situation has caused severe hardships, stressing that some were already having challenges paying their rent.
The officer stated out that rent is paid monthly, unlike in Nigeria, which is yearly, and that the money they pay is from $2,000 and above.
The aggrieved officer said they are with their families there, which is one requirement for going on foreign missions to give their utmost commitment to their work.
He, however, said living with their families in a foreign land has doubled their challenges.
He said, “We are finding it difficult to cope with responsibilities such as feeding, education and the provision of necessary family necessities. Things are more expensive in many countries than in Nigeria.”
Another officer who lamented their ordeal expressed that the NIS’s decision to select two missions (countries) for payment was more problematic, leaving others to their fate.
According to the officer, the lack of allowances erodes the financial strength of the attachés and can embarrass them and the nation at large.
The officer said, “The mission issues visas to desirous applicants who wish to enter Nigeria for different purposes professionally, thereby facilitating the government agenda of ease of doing business in Nigeria of which immigration service is one of the pivotal stakeholder.
“This is in addition to other bulk of investments the mission facilitates and has been facilitating so far. Again, it makes life much more easier for Nigerians in diaspora, particularly those wanting to renew their international passports and so on. We get this sorted out for them abroad, rather than them coming to Nigeria to get it done.
“Furthermore, the scrutiny and professional advice we offer Nigerians abroad and those foreigners wanting to come to Nigeria for business has gone a long way in putting things right and checking a lot of things that would have turned unpleasant.
“So, it is good to boost the missions and make sure that anything that will hinder it be done away with, and more embarrassing still it even should be unheard of that the challenge of the mission now is the non-payment of immigration officers allowances, and in the process exposing them to hardships and brewing embarrassment abroad.”
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