Delayed October salaries leave Nigerian civil servants stranded, intensifying challenges amid ongoing economic hardships.
In a concerning turn of events, employees from more than 12 federal ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) are experiencing severe financial hardship because their October salaries have not been paid.
This delay occurs during a period when economic difficulties are already intensifying poverty throughout Nigeria, causing many workers to struggle with meeting their essential needs.
Affected employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity, shared their frustration with the situation and revealed that they have had to borrow money just to afford necessities like food and transportation to work.
The federal government has issued a notice stating that the financial difficulties faced by these MDAs are primarily due to the implementation of the newly approved N70,000 minimum wage law enacted earlier this year.
Although numerous civil servants continue to go unpaid, reports suggest that certain groups, such as judiciary workers, received partial payments amounting to less than 25% on November 4.
The government linked this reduction to wage award deductions implemented earlier in the year, which further exacerbated workers’ financial struggles.
Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Information in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, clarified that the core issue stems from excluding the new minimum wage scale from the 2024 national budget. This oversight has adversely affected personnel costs across various impacted agencies.
Nonetheless, Mokwa reassured that the Office of the Accountant-General is actively tackling the issue. They are operating under federal government directives to obtain funds from various sources in order to clear overdue salaries and guarantee payments for the remaining months of the year.
Mokwa stated that since last Friday, the Office of the Accountant General has been focused on increasing salaries. He assured everyone affected that they would receive their payments. “They are addressing this issue,” he said, explaining how the office is attempting to secure funds for just two months left in this year and will ensure it’s resolved by OAGF.”
He clarified that the budget had been depleted due to the implementation of the new minimum wage, and mentioned that as the responsible agency, the OAGF is working on securing funds for paying civil servants.
“Without a directive, they couldn’t take action. However, they are currently making serious efforts to raise the necessary funds.” He did not specify when these funds would be available for distribution to the government workers who are now hungry and frustrated.
When asked about the timing of the funds, he responded by saying, “We are already addressing it and will resolve it soon. It could be as early as tomorrow or the day after because we are actively working on it.”
In addition, some government employees have not yet received their salaries for the period ending in October due to malfunctions in electronic transfer systems at certain commercial banks. This has led some of those affected to call for a change of host banks.
In a statement released yesterday, the OAGF clarified that no instruction has been given to employees to change their designated financial institutions on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform for salary deposits. The office emphasized its commitment to not issuing any directives that could mislead or cause undue concern among workers.
The OAGF clarified that any request to change a salary account is always the personal decision of the employee involved. They added that the IPPIS Office has not issued any general directive on this matter, as there hasn’t been any necessity for such action.
The OAGF instructed financial institutions to develop strategies that enhance customer confidence and ensure the efficient fulfillment of their obligations to individuals whose salaries are housed in these institutions, as well as Nigerians overall.
The OAGF highlighted that certain agencies are legally required to assess the health and viability of financial institutions, expressing confidence in their ability to fulfill these responsibilities effectively.
The office advised employees with legitimate reasons to change their salary accounts on the IPPIS platform to adhere to the official procedures.
Peoplesmind
