Delay in wage award payment arrears no longer acceptable – civil servants tell FG

Many federal civil servants have decried the continuous delay in payment of arrears of the N35,000 wage award, saying that it is unacceptable.

The civil servants spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

One of them, Ibrahim Abbas, said that there could be no reason that can be acceptable for the long delay in clearing the three months arrears of the wage award.

According to him, the money is needed now to cushion the effect of economic hardship.

“The condition of government workers has never been this bad. The Federal Government needs to take all necessary steps to clear the outstanding three months arrears of the wage award, ” he said.

Another civil servant, Mr Patrick Ugo, also urged the Federal Government to pay up the arrears without further delay.

“The government should realise that the present minimum wage of N70 ,000 is unrealistic. The wage award will give the workers some relief.

“I will urge the Federal Government, through the Accountant-General of the Federation, to pay the outstanding three months, totaling N105,000 with the January salaries, ” he said.

Mr Sule Aliu urged the Federal Government to make the N35,000 wage award a permanent addition to the monthly salaries of civil servants.

According to Aliu, this will go a long way to alleviate the financial pressure of the workers.

NAN reports that the wage award was a temporary payment to workers, approved in 2023 to ease the burden of fuel subsidy removal, supplementing salaries while a new national minimum wage was negotiated.

It was to act as a cost-of-living adjustment, but payments faced delays, causing frustration and leading to ongoing demands from labour unions for full implementation and clearance of arrears.

In April 2025, the Federal Government announced that it would pay the outstanding five months of the N35,000 wage award arrears to workers.

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), said that the Federal Government had earlier paid five months of the wage award in instalments.

He said that the outstanding arrears would be paid in installments of N35,000 per month for five months.

The OAGF said that the Federal Government was determined to fully implement all policies and agreements regarding staff remuneration and welfare to enhance productivity and efficiency.

But after the first installment was paid in May, 2025, the second instalment was not paid until August, 2025, and nothing has been paid since then.

This leaves an outstanding payment of three months, amounting to N105,000

Meanwhile, the Federal Government said that it was committed to clearing the remaining three months arrears of N35,000 wage award without further delay.

Mr Bawa Mokwa, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), however, said that the payment was subject to the availability of funds.

Mokwa said that with the payment of the second tranche in .August, it was remaining three tranches to exhaust the wage award arrears.

“Contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the Federal Government has not reneged on payment of the wage award arrears.

“The Federal Government will continue to pay the wage award in installments of N35,000 per month until the outstanding arrears is exhausted,” he said. (NAN)

JUST IN; Police activate CCTV centre to boost technology-driven policing

The Police Command in Lagos State has activated a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) Surveillance Centre in a bid to facilitate technology-driven policing to enhance security across Lagos Island and its environs.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

She said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, had activated the CCTV Surveillance Centre on Wednesday.

Adebisi said that the digital facility was built and fully equipped by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works, under the supervision of Engr. Dave Umahi.

“The facility provides real-time surveillance and monitoring of the Third Mainland Bridge, surrounding waterways, and other strategic locations within the island axis.

“The initiative is designed to proactively prevent crime and strengthen the protection of lives and property, ” she said.

To further support effective operations, the spokesperson said that two operational vehicles were formally handed over to the command on Friday, to enhance mobility and rapid response capability.

According to her, the surveillance centre, which also serves as control room 5, operates 24-hours daily, and is manned by well-trained officers, to ensure swift, intelligence-led policing and prompt response to security threats.

The image maker encouraged the public to remain vigilant and continue to partner with the police by promptly reporting suspicious activities.

“Report suspicious activities through the command’s emergency lines:
0706 101 9374, 0806 515 4338
0806 329 9264, 0803 934 4870,” she said.(NAN)

Police crack down on viral ‘self-kidnapping’ schemes, issues directives to DPOs, Area Commanders

The Police Command in Lagos State, says it is monitoring social media spaces, to uncover and tackle the wave of staged kidnappings in parts of the state.

The command revealed that several social media videos of kidnapping incidents which had sparked fear and consequent ransom payment, were carefully orchestrated scams.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, had deployed Tactical Squads and anti-crime units, to strengthen rapid response.

She said that Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) had also been directed to engage community leaders and residents, to improve information sharing.

“The command is also closely monitoring reports on social media and other platforms to promptly verify and address any incidents that may cause public anxiety,” she said

She said that in recent days, the command had recorded several fake abductions and consequent extortions.

“One such case involved a 26-year-old housewife whose supposed abduction set off alarm bells across borders.

“Her husband, living in South Africa, received frantic reports that armed men had kidnapped his wife in Lagos.

“The ransom demand was steep N10 million before it was negotiated down to three million naira,.hoping to save his wife’s life, he paid N2.5 million, yet, she was not released.

“It was that inconsistency that triggered deeper police scrutiny; A special squad of the Lagos State Police Command was deployed and wat they uncovered was not a hostage situation, but a carefully choreographed scam,” she said

The police said that the alleged victim had staged the kidnapping with the help of an accomplice in Osun state, who supplied a SIM card used to negotiate the ransom on WhatsApp.

According to the police, the victim later confessed, adding that even the iphone she claimed was stolen during the abduction, had already been sold.

“In a related development, the Command apprehended five suspects aged between 15 and 20 years, for orchestrating another fake kidnapping that went viral on social media.

“Police investigations revealed that a 15-year-old boy, with the help of four friends, staged his own abduction in a friend’s room in the Ago Palace area of Lagos to extort money from his mother.

“A ransom of N1.7 million was paid before detectives traced the transaction through a POS terminal, leading to the arrest of the suspects.

“The case, initially reported as a missing person incident on Nov. 26, 2025, had triggered widespread panic before the truth emerged.

“Similarly, the police apprehended a young couple for allegedly faking the wife’s kidnap, to extort N10 million from relatives and friends.

“Investigations showed that the scheme was motivated by financial hardship and the husband’s failed attempts to return to the United States,” she said

The police said that the plot unraveled at a school in Cappa, Lagos, after security personnel became suspicious of the couple’s conduct and alerted the police.

Th police said that the 19-year-old wife had admitted to planning what she described as a “prank kidnapping,” claiming that she had “acted” to help her husband cope with frustrations over his travel plans.

The spokesperson urged the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities, stressing that security is a shared responsibility.

Adebisi urged residents to remain law-abiding and to verify distress calls before taking action.

The image maker warned the public against false reporting, criminal deception and acts capable of diverting critical security resources.

She advised families to establish internal verification codes and maintain regular communication with their loved ones.

Meanwhile, Adebisi warned criminal elements to desist from all forms of crime, assuring residents that the command would continue to intensify efforts to safeguard lives and property across the state.

She urged citizens to cooperate with the police by providing credible and timely information, as public support remains vital in tackling crime.

“Avoid rushing to transfer money without confirmation and promptly report suspicious activities to the nearest police station or through the command’s emergency numbers: 07061019374, 08065154338, 08063299264 and 08039344870, ” she said.(NAN)