The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has responded to growing complaints from its personnel over alleged unpaid promotion arrears, firmly denying claims that the service is deliberately withholding entitlements owed to officers.
The clarification follows widespread concerns among NSCDC personnel who claimed they had not received promotion arrears covering the period from 2022 to 2024, despite assurances that payments had already been processed.
In a statement issued on Thursday, NSCDC spokesman Afolabi Babawale said the allegations were misplaced, stressing that the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has no authority over the payment of salaries or promotion arrears.
Babawale explained that responsibility for the payment of promotion arrears rests with the Presidential Committee on Arrears, which is chaired by the Director General of the Budget Office and the Accountant General of the Federation. According to him, the committee handles approvals, funding, and disbursement of such payments across government agencies.
He noted that the current NSCDC leadership inherited a significant backlog of unpaid arrears when it assumed office in 2021. Since then, he said, arrears covering the period from 2015 to 2019 have been fully paid, benefitting more than 37,000 personnel nationwide.
The NSCDC spokesman described claims that no promotion arrears have been paid since 2022 as inaccurate and misleading, adding that official payment records clearly show progress under the present administration.
Read also:
- Pay Workers’ salary arrears, Labour to Akeredolu
- Labour leaders clarify delay in implementation of minimum wage in Zamfara
- CSOs tackle FG on NATFORCE disbandment
He further disclosed that arrears for 2023 and 2024 are yet to be approved by the relevant authorities, explaining that such payments require presidential approval and proper budgetary allocation before funds can be released.
On concerns surrounding the most recent promotions, Babawale said the results of the 2025 promotion examinations were only released in December 2025, and the process of capturing the financial implications in the national budget is still ongoing.
He urged officers to exercise patience, assuring them that the leadership of the corps is actively engaging with the appropriate government agencies to ensure all outstanding promotion arrears are paid as soon as approvals are secured.
The statement comes amid heightened scrutiny of welfare issues within paramilitary agencies, as officers across several services continue to demand transparency and timely payment of entitlements.
