FG to Begin Payment of 5-month Wage Arrears After April salaries
By: Olufemi Orunsola
The Federal Government has announced plans to commence payment of the outstanding five months’ N35,000 wage award arrears to workers immediately after the April 2025 salaries, with monthly instalments continuing until the arrears are cleared.
OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA OTN News reports as gathered from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that this disclosure was made through a statement issued earlier in the week by Mr. Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Mokwa explained that while the Federal Government had earlier disbursed five months’ worth of the wage award in instalments, an additional five months remained unpaid. He noted that the outstanding arrears would now be settled in equal monthly instalments of N35,000.
According to him, the first instalment of the arrears will be paid immediately after the disbursement of April 2025 salaries, with subsequent payments continuing monthly until the full amount is cleared.
“The Federal Government is to pay the outstanding five months’ N35,000 wage award arrears to worker.
The NAN report read in part that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) made this known in a statement issued by Mr Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations."
The statement quoted Mr.Mokwa to have asserted that "The outstanding arrears would be paid in installments of N35,000 per month for five months. He said the first installment of the outstanding wage award arrears would be paid after the April 2025 salary”
The wage award forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to cushion the impact of economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and other fiscal adjustments.
Mokwa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fully implementing all agreements on staff remuneration and welfare, describing such measures as critical to improving productivity and efficiency in the public service.
OTN News recalls that in the year 2023, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) proposed a wage award to the Federal Government to help cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal, with a focus on supporting low-grade federal workers.
At that time. the Federal Government, in response introduced a N35,000 wage award in September 2023 as a temporary relief measure for workers on lower salary scales, amid economic pressures from subsidy removal and currency reforms.
OTN News further recalls that although partial payments were made between late 2023 and early 2024, delays in subsequent months have sparked concerns among labour unions, paving way for further negotiations between labour unions and the Federal Government, after which an increase in the national minimum wage to N70,000, was approved as part of broader efforts to address rising living costs.
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