The Federal Government has revealed its intention to begin disbursing the outstanding five months’ wage award arrears, amounting to N35,000, to workers immediately after the April 2025 salary payments. The arrears will be paid in monthly instalments until fully settled.
This information was shared in a statement on Monday by Mr. Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), and reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Mokwa clarified that while the Federal Government had previously paid five months of the wage award in instalments, an additional five months remained unpaid. He confirmed that the outstanding arrears would now be addressed through equal monthly payments of N35,000.
He stated that the first payment will be made right after the distribution of April 2025 salaries, with additional payments following each month until the total arrears are cleared.
“The Federal Government is set to pay the outstanding five months’ N35,000 wage award arrears to workers,” he noted.
According to the report from NAN, Mokwa emphasized that the arrears would be paid in monthly instalments of N35,000 over a five-month period, with the initial payment occurring post-April 2025 salary disbursement.
This wage award is part of the Federal Government’s initiative to mitigate the effects of economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and other fiscal adjustments.
Mokwa reiterated the government’s dedication to fulfilling all agreements related to employee compensation and welfare, describing these actions as essential for enhancing productivity and efficiency within the public sector.
### Key Information
In 2023, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) proposed a wage award to support federal workers amid the challenges posed by fuel subsidy removal. In response, the Federal Government introduced a N35,000 wage award in September 2023 as a temporary relief measure for employees on lower salary scales, addressing the economic pressures from subsidy removal and currency reforms.
While partial payments were made between late 2023 and early 2024, delays in later months raised concerns among labor unions. In 2024, after further negotiations, the Federal Government approved an increase in the national minimum wage to N70,000, as part of broader strategies to tackle rising living costs.
The recent announcement regarding the resumption of outstanding wage award payments is expected to honor the Federal Government’s previous commitments.
