FG Assures Payment of Outstanding Wage Award to Workers Mid-August

The Federal Government has assured federal public servants that payment of the outstanding wage award will commence before the middle of August, while the processing of unpaid promotion arrears is also being accelerated.

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The assurance came after a meeting between government officials and leaders of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), where both sides reviewed unresolved labour issues affecting federal employees and discussed measures to improve workers' welfare.

Speaking during the engagement, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, said the administration had already begun addressing several concerns raised by labour representatives even before receiving their formal submissions.

According to him, the approval process for the wage award payment is nearing completion, paving the way for eligible workers to start receiving their outstanding entitlements before mid-August.

"We are committed to delivering on every agreement reached with workers. 

"Our focus is not on making empty promises but on implementing practical solutions within realistic timelines," Oyedele said.

The minister also disclosed that the government was making progress in clearing outstanding promotion arrears, noting that the remaining batches were being processed in line with established administrative procedures.

To speed up implementation, he directed relevant officials to immediately review documents submitted by the JPSNC, work closely with affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and fast-track action on unresolved labour-related matters.

Oyedele admitted that delays in implementing some agreements had created concerns among workers but assured labour leaders that the government would continue to prioritise transparency, regular consultations and prompt execution of its commitments.

Earlier, JPSNC National President, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, urged the Federal Government to resolve pending workers' welfare issues without further delay.

He identified the outstanding wage award, unpaid promotion arrears, salary relativity affecting health workers and other welfare-related matters as key concerns requiring urgent government intervention.

Minjibir said timely fulfilment of the government's commitments would strengthen workers' confidence, improve industrial relations and help preserve stability across the public service.

"The workforce remains committed to supporting government programmes, but outstanding obligations should be settled promptly to reinforce trust and sustain industrial harmony," he said.

Also speaking, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to working closely with organised labour to ensure approved workers' benefits are processed and paid without avoidable delays.

He explained that the ministry would continue collaborating with relevant government agencies to resolve pending labour matters, adding that sustained dialogue remained critical to maintaining peaceful labour relations.

Providing an update on promotion arrears, the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, said workers whose Batch 7 payments were omitted during an earlier disbursement exercise had now been included alongside Batch 9 for processing.

He expressed confidence that affected employees would begin receiving their outstanding promotion arrears once the ongoing verification and processing exercise was completed.

Danjuma added that discussions were also ongoing with relevant MDAs to address issues surrounding the Peculiar Allowance and other unresolved staff welfare concerns.

On the payment process, Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, disclosed that reconciliation of the outstanding wage award had been completed, with the release of funds now entering its final phase.

She explained that once the funds are released, eligible federal public servants would immediately begin receiving the outstanding wage award, while payment of promotion arrears would continue in accordance with the approved disbursement schedule.