The Federal Government has announced that it will begin paying the outstanding N35,000 wage award arrears owed to federal civil servants.
In a statement released on Monday by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), it was confirmed that the arrears will be paid in monthly installments over five months. Each worker will receive N35,000 per month, separate from their regular salary.
The OAGF clarified that the first payment will be made immediately after the April 2025 salary is paid and not alongside it.
This wage award was first introduced in 2023 to support workers after the removal of petrol subsidy and other economic changes. While five months were initially paid, another five months remained outstanding until now.
The government assured that it remains committed to honouring all agreements related to workers’ pay and welfare, as part of efforts to improve efficiency across its ministries, departments and agencies.
Earlier in January, the government had pledged to clear the remaining arrears and also resume regular wage award payments.
Labour unions, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had recently criticised delays in implementing the National Minimum Wage agreement and in paying the wage awards.
The government attributed some of the delay to the late approval of the 2025 national budget.