Civil servants decry delay in payment of January salaries

Some Nigerian civil servants have complained about the “inexplicable’’ delay in payment of the January salaries in spite of improved government revenue.

The civil servants spoke in separate interviews with the newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.

Supreme News reports that as at Tuesday, Feb. 1, Nigerian government workers are yet to receive their January emolument.

According to one of the civil servants, Ibrahim Ali, it is becoming a culture for the Federal Government to delay payment of monthly salaries.

“The situation is no longer acceptable for the Federal Government to keep delaying salaries without explanation.

“We are aware that the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) shared N1.1 trillion amongst the three tiers of government, so why the delay’’ he said.

Also, Mrs Hauwa Sule, condemned the idea of delaying the monthly salaries of government workers.

“This is no longer acceptable. Civil servants plan based on the monthly salary, which is not even adequate.

“In the midst of this harsh economic condition occasioned by the government’s economic policies, the list the government can do is to ensure prompt payment of salaries,’’ she said.

Emmanuel Uka, a civil servant, urged the Federal Government to take the plight of ordinary Nigerians as a priority and stop the delay in workers’ monthly salaries.

Supreme News reports that the FAAC shared N1.13 trillion among the three tiers of government as revenue generated in December 2023.

FAAC disclosed this in a communiqué issued at the end of its January meeting.

The total figure shared represented an increase of N40 billion or 3.67 per cent compared to the N1.09 trillion shared for November 2023.

The total amount includes gross statutory revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), Companies Income Tax (CIT), Augmentations from Forex and Non-oil Mineral Revenue, and electronic money transfer levy (EMTL), among others.

However, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) which did not give any reason for the delay, said that civil servants would start getting their January salaries by Thursday evening.

Mr Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press, OAGF, gave the assurance while reacting to the complaints by government workers.