The hopes of hundreds of Nigerians who looked forward to working with the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has been dashed, as they have not been allowed to start work for over six months despite the letters of employment given to them by the immediate past Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mr Babatunde Fowler.
Findings revealed that some of those affected had already resigned from their previous jobs after receiving the letters of employment but were rendered jobless again.
According to one of the letters signed by the Director, Human Capital Management Department, Victor Ekundayo, on behalf of Fowler, the candidates had been interviewed by the management of the agency and had been offered employment.
The letter reads:
Further to your recent interview with the Federal Inland Revenue Service, you have been offered appointment as Officer on Salary Level 11 Step 1 effective from the date you assume duty.
By this appointment, you shall be placed on probation for a period of one year from the date of assumption of duty. Subject to your satisfactory conduct and performance within this period, your appointment shall be confirmed on a permanent basis.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the affected persons said he had resigned from his previous place of work and had been struggling for the last six months.
He said:
Things have been very difficult for me in the last six months. I was working at a company and I resigned immediately after I received my employment letter from the FIRS. Today, I am stuck. Is the FIRS saying it has not paid contractors and consultants in the last six months because they were engaged by Fowler?
Another affected person stated their employment might have been halted because the new FIRS leadership was trying to reverse some of the policies of Fowler.
He said:
I was told that Nami has been probing Fowler and reversing some of his policies. We are professionals and we don’t play politics. The FIRS should address our situation at once or we may have to file a class action.
In the meantime, the spokesman for the FIRS, Abdullahi Ahmad, admitted that many people were affected, but said he did not have the definite figure.
