The Federal Civil Servants of Nigeria are currently not in a happy mood despite the festive season, as they have not been paid their December salaries.
Reports have suggested the delay may be caused by the migration to a new salary payment platform, while other reports suggest it’s the fault of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF).
A civil servant who preferred to be anonymous said, “To be very honest, I am not traveling for the holidays this year because I don’t have the money. Our November salaries came very late, and by the time we were paid, a lot of us were already in debt. We felt things would be different this December, but the reverse is the case.”
Another civil servant, who also spoke under the condition of anonymity, said, “There is nothing shocking about this new development because our November salaries came late. Some of us prepared ahead, even though it is not enough. The cost of food items has gone up, clothes for my children and all. Payment of the December salaries at the moment will really go a long way.”
An assistant director said, “This delay in salary payment is getting too much. It is Christmas, and yet some of us can’t even buy meat, talk less getting chicken for our family members. The government needs to consider our welfare.”
Mr. Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General, said, “They have started paying since yesterday.”
He further said, “Last month, you will observe that some people didn’t get their salaries on time. Some ministries were having shortfalls. Yesterday, they paid all, and even the ones that had a shortfall, they ensured that they were augmented and paid. So, it now depends on the banks.
“When they started paying the new minimum wage, the money assigned for salaries to these ministries was affected by the minimum wage. So, that led to a shortfall for the ministries. That is what the government has addressed and augmented for all ministries to ensure that the salary was paid yesterday,” he explained.
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