FG Pledges Mid-August Payment of Outstanding Wage Award, Promotion Arrears to Follow

The Federal Government has assured federal civil servants that payment of the outstanding N35,000 wage award arrears will commence before the middle of August, while outstanding promotion arrears are also being processed as part of ongoing efforts to fulfil its commitments to workers.

The assurance came amid renewed concerns by organised labour over delays in the implementation of workers’ welfare agreements, including unpaid wage awards, promotion arrears and salary-related allowances.

The Head of Information and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie, in a statement, said the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, gave the assurance during a meeting with the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council, Trade Side, led by its National President, Kabiru Ado Minjibir, in Abuja.

Oyedele disclosed that the approval process for the release of funds had reached its concluding stage and expressed confidence that eligible workers would begin receiving the outstanding wage award before the middle of the month.

“When government makes commitments, it delivers. We are not in the habit of making promises that cannot be fulfilled. Where there are outstanding issues, we will give realistic timelines and ensure they are implemented,” the minister said.

He noted that the government had already begun addressing several labour concerns before receiving the council’s formal communication.

The minister also assured the delegation that promotion arrears were receiving the required attention, with the outstanding batches being processed in line with established procedures.

The meeting effectively averted a planned labour confrontation after the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council suspended its August 11 ultimatum issued to the Minister’s office over unresolved workers’ welfare issues.

Labour leaders had demanded an urgent meeting to resolve the non-payment of two months’ wage awards and the delayed implementation of a 40 percent peculiar allowance for federal workers.

The Peculiar Allowance, a 40 percent adjustment approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission with an effective date of May 1, 2026, has remained stalled across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

Providing an update on the payment process, the Director of Cash Management at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Christiana Osho, disclosed that reconciliation for the outstanding wage award had been completed and that the payment release was at its final stage.

She explained that once the release is effected, eligible public servants will begin receiving the outstanding wage award, while processing of the outstanding promotion arrears continues in line with the approved schedule.

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to working closely with organised labour to ensure approved workers’ entitlements are processed and released without avoidable delays.

The government also agreed to facilitate the payment of the long-awaited 40 percent peculiar allowance through a supplementary budget.

The Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were inadvertently omitted during an earlier payment exercise, are now being processed alongside Batch 9.

President Bola Tinubu had approved the N35,000 monthly provisional wage award for federal government workers in October 2023 as a temporary measure to cushion the impact of the removal of petrol subsidy and rising cost of living.

Although payments began in late 2023, implementation became irregular, leaving several months outstanding.