A new documentation system for all staff, including security operatives working at the Presidential Villa, Abuja is currently in progress ahead of a comprehensive welfare package been prepared for presidential staff.

It was reliably gathered that the new documentation process is aimed at institutionalising the welfare system in the presidential villa which before now was arbitrarily done and the beneficiaries short-changed.

“We want to do it and do it well so that those who are supposed to be paid X and X amount of money get what is due to them. It takes time but we want to do it in such a way that even after President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, the system will continue,” a top Presidential aide said on the condition of anonymity.

Investigations revealed that a committee set up by the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, retired Major General Babagana Munguno, on the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari is due to submit its recommendation by the end of the month for approval by the president.

“I plead with all staffers to be patient with Mr. President so that the good work been done by the NSA on the directives of the president for a better welfare for staff will soon take effect,” the source said.

The source said that the new welfare package “is designed in such a way that beneficiaries will receive their money without a third party and the NSA is very thorough about this and that’s why it is taking this long. It is slow but it will surely come and when it comes everybody will be happy about it.”

Further investigations revealed that the NSA has also spoken to the president on the need to pay the staffers all backlogs beginning from May 2015 when the president officially assumed office.

Explaining the delay in the commencement of the welfare package, the source said: “On coming to office, Mr President discovered that staff of the State House were been paid allowances that were not documented. So when the issue came to the knowledge of the president, he directed the NSA to look into the case and it was discovered that the sources of funding the welfare package was illegal and unsustainable. So Mr. President then directed Munguno to design a more accountable means of paying the allowances.”

According to the source, under President Buhari “you should not expect the NSA to dip his hands into funds that he cannot account for to pay welfare to staff. In the first place how will he explain it to the president and secondly how does he sustain it? Under the past administration, the office of the NSA was illegally collecting monies from the Central Bank Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to share around. That is no longer possible under the Buhari government.”

The source maintained that as a man who believes and lives on the principles of accountability. “President Buhari instructed Munguno come up with a legitimate means of funding the payment of those allowances as part of the overall effort to clean up that office,” he said.

Explaining the NSA’s antecedent, the Presidential source said: “As a military commander Munguno is famous for caring for troops under him. If you go to the Guards Brigade today, there is what is called the ‘Munguno Allowance’ which is owed to him as the name implies. The NSA is a welfare man. So nobody should blame him for the delay because he wants to do a clean and enduring job for staff of the State House.”

•Photo shows NSA, retired Major General Babagana Munguno.

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