From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

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CRISIS is brewing in the Imo State Command of the Nigeria Prisons Service as the state Comptroller of Prisons, Mr. Aloy Uchenwa has allegedly rejected the emolument forms of officers who were yet to pay their welfare dues.
Investigations by Sunday Sun revealed that it was only officers at the Command’s headquarters that were being compelled to pay the welfare dues before their emolument forms would be accepted, as the officers in Owerri Prisons, Training School and Okigwe Prisons had all submitted theirs.
It was reliably learnt that the officer in charge of welfare at state headquarters, Mr. Longinus Njoku, had insisted that the emolument forms of officers who had not paid their welfare dues would not be accepted. It was also gathered that the welfare dues ranges from N9,000 to N15,000 depending on the rank of the staff.
The action of the Command is generating anxiety among the affected officers as those who fail to submit their forms would have their salaries impounded by the national headquarters as they would be deemed to be ghost workers.
One of the affected officers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the welfare dues they were being forced to contribute had never benefited any staff.
He said: “Nobody has really benefited from the so-called welfare because whenever any staff dies or has problem, we still have to contribute, as the welfare dues had never been used. Even if you need the welfare bus, you must pay for it before the bus is released to the person. So, what is the essence of paying welfare dues when the money is never used to assist staff members who have problem?”
Similarly, another staff, who also craved anonymity, alleged that Njoku, who is now the welfare chairman, had kicked against the welfare payment in the past, regretting that he was the one insisting that the emolument forms of any staff that did not pay should not be accepted.
When contacted, the spokesman of the Imo Prisons Command, Mr. James Madugba said there was no iota of truth in the allegation, noting that the emolument forms that were returned were not properly signed.
“The allegation is not true because in the first instance the State Comptroller does not collect the emolument forms; he only endorses in the space specified for him. Again, it has nothing to do with welfare dues. Those whose emolument forms were returned are those that were not properly signed and the Comptroller had to send it back to them.”