By KADIRI ABDULRAHMAN

Many federal civil servants have called on the Federal Government to clear the outstanding two months arrears of N35,000 wage award.

The government workers spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja.

They decried the delay in payment of the arrears.

Ibrahim Abbas, a medical worker, said that there could be no reason acceptable for the long delay in clearing the outstanding arrears of the wage award.

According to him, the money is needed now to cushion the effect of the worsening 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 arrears of the wage award,” he said.

Abbas, however, commended the Federal Government for the recent payment of the third tranche of the wage award.

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 urge the Federal Government, through the Accountant-General of the Federation, to pay the outstanding two months, totaling N70,000 with the March 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 in alleviating the financial pressure of the workers.

Sani Garba urged the Federal Government s to always fulfill its obligations to civil servants without delay to prevent labour agitation.

According to Garba, the government should consider the present economic realities and make the wage award a permanent addition to the present salary.

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 being 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 installments.

It 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, while the third instalment was recently paid on March 6.

This leaves an outstanding payment of two months, amounting to N70,000

Meanwhile, the Federal Government said that it was committed to clearing the remaining two 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), said that the payment was subject to the availability of funds.

Mokwa said that with the payment of the third tranche in February, it was remaining two 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 payment of the third tranche clearly attests to this.

“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)

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