FG to Pay Outstanding Wage Award Before Mid-August, Begins Promotion Arrears Processing
By Nafiu Muhammad Lema
The Federal Government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while efforts are underway to process outstanding promotion arrears.
The assurance was given during a meeting between the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, and the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Trade Side, led by its National President, Kabiru Minjibir.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Information and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie, Oyedele said the government had already begun addressing several issues raised by the council, even before receiving its formal communication.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to resolving legitimate labour concerns through constructive engagement, assuring workers that government would honour its commitments.
“When government makes commitments, it delivers. We are not in the habit of making promises that cannot be fulfilled,” Oyedele said, adding that realistic timelines would be provided for outstanding issues and implemented accordingly.
He disclosed that necessary approvals for the payment of the outstanding wage award were being finalised, expressing confidence that eligible public servants would begin receiving the payments before the middle of August.
Oyedele also assured the delegation that outstanding promotion arrears were receiving attention, with pending batches being processed in line with established procedures.
He directed relevant officials to review documents submitted by the council, liaise with appropriate Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and expedite action on matters requiring government intervention.
While acknowledging concerns over delays in implementing some agreements, the minister said the government would continue to strengthen trust with organised labour through transparency, regular consultations and prompt action.
Earlier, JPSNC President Kabiru Minjibir commended the minister for meeting with the delegation and appealed for the speedy resolution of outstanding labour issues, including the wage award, promotion arrears and salary relativity concerns affecting health workers.
He said timely implementation of government commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence in the administration.
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.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were inadvertently omitted during an earlier payment exercise, were now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He added that the Federal Government was working with relevant MDAs to address issues relating to the Peculiar Allowance and other outstanding labour matters.
Providing an update on the wage award payment, the Director of the Cash Management Department, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation of the outstanding amount had been completed and that the release of funds was at the final stage.
She said eligible public servants would begin receiving the wage award once the funds were released, while promotion arrears would continue to be processed according to the approved schedule.
The Federal Government and JPSNC reaffirmed their commitment to sustained dialogue and collaboration towards resolving outstanding labour issues and maintaining industrial harmony across the federal public service.
