The Lagos State Office of Internal Audit has commenced an eight-day staff audit exercise for the officers of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps (LNSC) as part of efforts to correct irregularities in staff service records and ensure the right placement of officers in the salary structure of the State government.
Speaking during the commencement of the exercise at LNSC Headquarters, Task Force Yard, Bolade Oshodi recently, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Office of Internal Audit, Mrs. Olusola Oduguwa, added that the exercise carried out periodically is not to witch-hunt members of staff but to ensure placement of officers on the appropriate level in the salary structure.
She also disclosed that in the course of carrying out routine staff Audit in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), it was realised that some officers were inappropriately placed on a grade level in the salary structure, while some had gotten additional qualifications after their first appointment, explaining that the audit exercise will allow correction of irregularities in service records before retirement.
Oduguwa said, “This staff verification is being done here for ease of identification by the administrative personnel of the LNSC, who are working with the Internal Auditors from the State Internal Audit Office, and is not meant to witch-hunt the staff”.
The Permanent Secretary emphasised that the exercise will not be done by proxy, informing that 5,412 officers of the Agency must be physically present with their Service documents which include the Letter of First Appointment, Confirmation of Appointment Letter, Promotion Letters, Staff identification card, Assumption of duty certificate, credentials, payslip and other relevant documents.
She appealed to the officers to be orderly, give preference to the pregnant women, nursing mothers and the sick among them, while complying strictly with all COVID-19 protocols during the exercise.
The General Manager, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Prince Ifelade Oyekan, said the Personnel Audit has been a challenge to the Agency since he came on board two months ago, noting that the exercise will avail the Agency of the opportunity to narrow or widen the gap between the safety corps.
Oyekan stated that only officers on ground for the verification exercise will be recognised as officers within the safety corps, charging all personnel to live up to their responsibilities as Law enforcement agents by obeying all the laid down rules of the Office of Internal Audit for a hitch-free and orderly verification exercise.
Head, Internal Audit, Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, Mr. Taiwo Adekunle, said the exercise was embarked upon to ascertain the number of staff within the State Government workforce, stressing that whoever is absent for the exercise would be considered a being in transit or has absconded from the State Public Service.
