Civil servants under the employment of the Federal Government are facing low-key Christmas celebrations following the delay in payment of their December 2024 salaries.
The PUNCH also learnt that federal workers suffered delayed salaries in November 2024.
Findings by our correspondents revealed that most federal workers received their November 2024 salaries during the second week of December.
Multiple sources within the civil service told The PUNCH that the fault came from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation while other sources noted that the delay was as a result of migration to a new payment platform.
Speaking on the delayed salaries, a few civil servants expressed their grievances over the matter.
However, the Federal Government has explained the reasons behind recent delays in salary payments to civil servants, attributing the issue to shortfalls in allocations to some ministries and agencies.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Tuesday, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General, Mr Bawa Mokwa, confirmed that payments commenced on Monday and that measures had been taken to address the discrepancies.
“They have started paying since yesterday,” Mokwa stated.
He further acknowledged the delays experienced last month, saying, “Last month, you will observe that some people didn’t get their salaries on time. Some ministries were having shortfall. Yesterday, they paid all, and even the ones that had shortfall, they ensured that they were augmented and paid. So, it now depends on the banks.”
Explaining the root of the problem, Mokwa noted that the implementation of the new minimum wage had affected the salary allocations for some ministries.
“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 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.
