25th December 2024
Civil servants under the employment of the Federal Government, who had earlier suffered delayed salaries in November 2024 are worried that they might experience low-key yuletide season celebrations due to delayed December 2024 salaries.
Most federal workers received their November 2024 salaries during the second week of December, due to fault adduced to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation and as a result of migration to a new payment platform.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a civil servant, said, I am not traveling for the holidays this year because I don’t have the money. Our November salaries came very late and by the time we were paid, a lot of us were already in debt. We felt things would be different this December but the reverse is the case.”
For another civil servant, “There is nothing shocking about this new development because our November salaries came late. Some of us prepared ahead, even though it is not enough. The cost of food items have gone up, clothes for my children and all. Payment of the December salaries at the moment will really go a long way.”
An apparently worried assistant Director in one of the MDAs outside Abuja, said, “This delay in salary payment is getting too much. It is Christmas and yet some of us can’t even buy meat talk less getting chicken for our family members. The government needs to consider our welfare.”
READ MORE; Federal Government Declares Wednesday, Thursday And Jan.1, 2025 As Public Holidays.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has explained that the reasons behind the delayed salary payment is due to shortfalls in allocations to some ministries and agencies.
The Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General, Mr Bawa Mokwa, who confirmed that payments commenced on Monday said measures had been taken to address the discrepancies.
He further acknowledged the delays experienced last month, saying, “Last month, you will observe that some people didn’t get their salaries on time. Some ministries were having shortfall. Yesterday, they paid all, and even the ones that had shortfall, they ensured that they were augmented and paid. So, it now depends on the banks.”
Explaining the root of the problem, Mokwa noted that the implementation of the new minimum wage had affected the salary allocations for some ministries.
“When they started paying the new minimum wage, the money assigned for salaries to these ministries was affected by the minimum wage. So, that led to shortfall for the ministries. That is what the government has addressed and augmented for all ministries to ensure that the salary was paid yesterday,” he explained.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Madein, also confirmed during an earlier event that the salaries had been paid.
However, Mokwa added that the timing of the funds reflecting in employees’ accounts would depend on individual banks.
“It varies from bank to bank on how it will drop, but they have been paid,” he said.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in the minimum wage for Nigerian workers from N30,000 to N70,000.
