‘FG Has Not Asked Workers To Close Their GTB Salary Accounts,’ Details Emerge

Certain reports claiming the federal government has directed civil servants to move their salary accounts away from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) has been debunked.

The denial follows a viral WhatsApp message that reads: “Please let’s all take note, seems GTB now has serious problems and may be shut down any moment from now. Anyone that has money in the bank should do the needful.”

However, the spokesperson for GTB, Cornelius Onuoha, on Friday debunked the message.

He said those behind the messages are the same set of people seeking to blackmail the bank since it declared a N1 trillion profit.

The report is “absolutely false”.

“It is a totally false story. The federal government has also commented about it. These same set of people are looking for ways to blackmail the bank since it declared a N1 trillion profit,” Onouha told The Cable.

Naijaonpoint recalls following the decision of the federal government to discontinue the use of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) to pay salaries to staff of Federal Tertiary Institutions (FTIs), the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Bawa Mokwa, also denied any order from the government requiring workers o change their salary accounts.

Mokwa, in a statement on November 4, clarified that the OAGF has not issued any instruction to workers to switch their salary accounts.

He told workers not to make any panic-driven decisions as their welfare remains the top priority of the government.

He explained that any decision to change salary accounts is entirely personal for each worker, with no mandate from the IPPIS office.

“The OAGF explained that whenever there is an application for change of salary account, such is always a personal decision of the worker concerned. The IPPIS Office has not issued any general directive to this effect as there was no reason to do so,” Mokwa said.

“The OAGF tasked financial institutions to implement necessary strategies to boost customers’ confidence and guarantee efficient fulfillment of their obligations to persons whose salaries are domiciled in such financial institutions and Nigerians in general.

“The OAGF noted that there are agencies that are statutorily mandated to determine the health as well as viability of financial institutions and expressed optimism that those agencies are up to their tasks,” Mokwa said.