The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN has directed over 17,000 of its members allegedly delisted from the monthly payroll of the Federal Government, under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS to remain calm as measures were being taken to address the situation.

The information on the delisting of the over 17,000 civil servants from the IPPIS portal which filtered in last week has led to apprehension from the affected civil servants who were said to have been delisted from the IPPIS for failing to comply with a verification exercises spanning over five years.

Reacting to the development in statement released to newsmen in Abuja, the National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, Comrade Tommy Etim Okon, alleged that there were also some discrepancies in the IPPIS verification process and disclosed that names of Personal Assistants, Special Advisers and in some cases Ministers who had served in successive governments were found in the portal.

While explaining that the said IPPIS verification took place five years ago, Comrade Okon also expressed displeasure that members of his association who are genuine civil servants could feigned ignorance of the verification exercise while it lasted.

He however said the leadership of the association has swung into action and that the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation has given a one week grace period for affected employees who were erroneously omitted from the IPPIS portal to forward their documents for update, provided they have genuine cases.

On the life line available to the affected workers, comrade Okon said a committee has already been constituted in the office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to handle such cases, while calling on those with genuine complaints, who had initially done the online verification on the IPPIS portal to submit a scanned copy of their document to the email that has been provided.

Comrade Okon also appealed to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation that the one week deadline given to fully comply with the verification exercise was rather too limited, stressing that government should in its magnanimity extend it because of the rigours involved.