Eight Banks Withhold N700m Overpaid To Ex- Airways Workers

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…Unions threaten to picket banks

by Kelvin Osa Okunbor

Office
of the Nigeria’s Accountant General is at loggerheads with eight banks
for unauthorised withholding of over N700million paid in error into the
accounts of some former workers of the Nigeria Airways in their banks.

The
unprofessional conduct of the banks in not returning the huge sum paid
in error into accounts of ex – Airways workers is creating tension
between the banks and the office of Accountant General.

The N700
million represented the extra money that was mistakenly paid into the
account of some of the former workers who were paid twice by the
government.

The payment came after a verification exercise on the former workers of the defunct national carrier.
A
source hinted that the N700 million overpayment, was part of the N22
billion approved by government as the final N45 billion severance
entitlements approved for former workers of liquidated Nigeria Airways
Limited.

A source hinted that efforts made by the Accountant
General and the National Union of Pensioners (NUP), representatives of
the workers to make the banks refund the money to the Accountant
General’s office has not yielded positive results.

Rather than
return the N700 million into the accounts of the affected workers, the
banks have failed and are allegedly trading with the money.

The
eight banks affected include: the First Bank which is said to be in
possession of the lion share of 80 per cent of the money in question.

Other banks include: Diamond, Fidelity, Polaris, Zenith, Stanbic and Ecobank.

While
the eight banks failed to comply with the agreement to refund the
money, few others are said to have voluntarily returned the money
mistakenly paid into the accounts.

The banks that have fully refunded the money are: GTB, Keystone, Standard Chartered, Unity and UBA.

While
the office of the accountant General was said to be unhappy with the
banks, the union representatives of the former airline workers have
given the banks one-week ultimatum which ends this week to return the
money.

Former workers of Airways said should the banks fail to
return the money this week, they will picket the banks first thing next
Monday.

The refusal of the banks to refund the money is said to
be slowing down the ongoing payment of the last batch of the former
workers entitlements.

Source:- Thenationonlineng

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