Federal Government workers are facing a difficult Christmas as their December 2024 salaries have not been paid on time.
In November 2024, federal workers also experienced delays in receiving their salaries, which were eventually paid during the second week of December.
Sources within the civil service said the delay was due to issues from the Accountant General's office and the migration to a new payment platform.
Many civil servants expressed their frustrations over the delayed salaries. One worker said they could not travel for the holidays due to lack of money. Another mentioned that the rising cost of living made the situation even harder.
An Assistant Director outside Abuja said, “This delay in salary payment is getting too much. The government needs to consider our welfare.”
The Federal Government explained that the delays were due to shortfalls in allocations to some ministries and the implementation of the new minimum wage.
Mr. Bawa Mokwa from the Accountant-General's office confirmed that payments began on Monday and that the discrepancies were being addressed. He also mentioned that the timing of funds reflecting in employees’ accounts depends on individual banks.
In July 2024, President Bola Tinubu approved an increase in the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000. The National Assembly had earlier reduced the allocation for salary-related payments by 45% in the 2024 budget.
The government plans to address the new minimum wage with an allocation of N845.28 billion in the proposed 2025 budget. This budget will also see an increase in personnel and pension costs, with a total of N8.52 trillion allocated for federal workers next year.
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