Federal civil servants on Sunday urged the Federal Government to pay the remaining three months of the N35,000 wage award arrears, saying the delay is worsening their struggle with the rising cost of living. The workers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said the non-payment had left many families stranded and called for immediate action.
They explained that the arrears had remained unpaid despite earlier assurances from the Government, fuelling frustration and raising concerns about its commitment. They added that the wage award, introduced to cushion economic hardship, could not achieve its purpose if payments continued to be inconsistent.
Speaking on the issue, Dr. Uche Anune criticised what he described as a pattern of Government inaction until workers began to agitate.
“I am seeing a pattern that whenever there is anything at stake, the Government tends to be relaxed about it until some people start agitating or engaging in some form of protest. That should not be the case,” he said.
Another civil servant, Mr. Joseph Edeh, said the delay was discouraging and had eroded trust in Government promises.
“On the issue of this N35,000 wage award, honestly, as a civil servant and as a Nigerian, I have lost faith. They told us that we had an outstanding of five months; after paying two months, they stopped. What they should do is clear the arrears and pay the remaining three months at once,” Mr. Edeh said.
Also speaking, Miss Franca Ofili appealed to the Government to honour its word, noting that the wage award remained critical to workers’ welfare.
“The Government should try and clear the arrears because that 35,000 can go a long way to solve a lot of our financial problems. We need the money,” she said.
Responding to the concerns, the Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to settling the outstanding arrears. Mr. Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), said the process was ongoing but dependent on the availability of funds.
“Contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the Federal Government has not reneged on payment of the wage award arrears. The Government will continue to pay the wage award in instalments of N35,000 per month until the outstanding arrears are exhausted,” Mr. Mokwa said.
He confirmed that with the second tranche paid in August, only three instalments remained.
