ABUJA — The Federal Government has assured civil servants that it will clear the remaining three months’ arrears of the N35,000 wage award without further delay.
Mr. Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), gave the assurance in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the government commenced payment of the second tranche of the arrears on Thursday, having earlier settled one month out of the initial five months owed.
“With the payment of the second tranche, there remain three tranches to exhaust the wage award arrears,” Mokwa said. “Contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the Federal Government has not reneged on the payment of the wage award arrears. The payment will continue in monthly instalments of N35,000 until all arrears are cleared.”
The pledge comes amid complaints from civil servants over what they described as unnecessary delays in fulfilling the payment commitment.
Dr. Uche Anune, a civil servant in Abuja, criticised the government for waiting until workers voiced their frustrations before taking action. “That should not be the case,” he said.
Another worker, Mr. Joseph Edeh, expressed doubts about the government’s sincerity. “They should clear the arrears and pay the remaining four months at once instead of dragging it out,” he said.
Miss Franca Ofili also urged the authorities to keep their word, stressing that the N35,000 could significantly ease the financial burden on workers.
The N35,000 wage award was introduced by the Federal Government as a palliative to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal, but delays in payment have continued to stir discontent among civil servants.
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