Federal Govt begins payment of Feb salaries, pledges to clear Wage Award arrears for Workers
Federal Govt begins payment of salaries, pledges to clear Wage Award arrears for Workers
The federal government has started payment of February 2026 salaries to treasury-funded workers and announced plans to begin settling the three-month wage award arrears from March, ending weeks of tension with organised labour.
Just days ago, the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (Trade Union side) gave the government a Friday deadline to release funds for pending wage awards and allowances owed to workers across ministries, departments, and agencies. In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the unions warned that failure to meet the February 27 deadline would compel all eight civil service unions to take “decisive action.”
The unions accused the government of withholding funds meant for workers, claiming that agencies were ready to process payments once the Ministry of Finance released the necessary funds.
In a statement on Monday, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) said the delay in February salary payments was caused by a “technical hitch” that has now been resolved. “Necessary measures have been put in place to prevent a recurrence,” the statement said.
The OAGF also confirmed that one month of the three-month wage award arrears has been approved and processed for payment.
Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, who met with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to discuss the issue, provided a timeline for clearing the remaining arrears.
In a post on X, the Ministry of Labour quoted Edun: “The May 2024 wage award will be paid together with the February salary. The June 2024 arrears will be paid after the March salary, while the July 2024 arrears will be settled after the April salary.”
The meeting that produced the payment plan was convened by Labour Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, following labour’s threat to picket the Ministry of Finance over outstanding payments.
