The federal government has assured federal civil servants that payment of the outstanding N35,000 wage award arrears will commence before the middle of August, with officials confirming that the release of funds is in its final stage.
The assurance was given by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, during a meeting with the leadership of the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC), Trade Side, led by its National President, Kabiru Ado Minjibir, in Abuja.
The development comes amid growing pressure from organised labour over delays in implementing workers’ welfare agreements, including unpaid wage awards, promotion arrears, salary relativity for health workers and the 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
According to a statement issued on Wednesday by the Head of Information and Public Relations Unit of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Efe Ovuakporie, the government remains committed to fulfilling its obligations to public servants.
“The Federal Government has assured public servants that the outstanding wage award will be paid before the middle of August, while promotion arrears are being processed as part of ongoing efforts to fulfil its commitments to workers,” the statement said.
Oyedele stated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration had already begun addressing several of the concerns raised by labour before receiving its formal communication.
He stressed that the government would continue to honour agreements reached with workers.
“When government makes commitments, it delivers. We are not in the habit of making promises that cannot be fulfilled. Where there are outstanding issues, we will give realistic timelines and ensure they are implemented,” the minister said.
He disclosed that the approval process for the release of funds had reached its final stage, expressing confidence that eligible workers would start receiving the outstanding wage award before mid-August.
The minister also assured labour leaders that outstanding promotion arrears were being processed in line with established procedures.
He directed ministry officials to review all submissions made by the council, engage relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and accelerate action on unresolved labour-related issues.
Oyedele acknowledged concerns over delays in implementing previous agreements but said the government would continue to build confidence through transparency and sustained engagement with organised labour.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, also pledged closer collaboration with labour unions to ensure approved workers’ entitlements are processed without unnecessary delays.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, disclosed that Batch 7 promotion arrears, which were omitted during an earlier payment exercise, were now being processed alongside Batch 9.
He added that the government was working with relevant agencies to resolve issues relating to the payment of the peculiar allowance and other outstanding labour claims.
Providing an update on the payment process, the ministry’s Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, said reconciliation of the outstanding wage award had been completed.
She explained that payment would commence immediately after the final release of funds, while promotion arrears would continue to be processed according to the approved schedule.
Earlier, the JPSNC president urged the Federal Government to speed up payment of all outstanding workers’ entitlements, identifying unpaid wage awards, promotion arrears, salary relativity for health workers and other welfare matters as issues requiring urgent attention.
He said timely implementation of the government’s commitments would strengthen industrial harmony and boost workers’ confidence in the administration.
The latest assurance follows renewed demands by the JPSNC for an urgent meeting with the Minister of Finance over delayed payment of two months’ wage award arrears and the implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance for federal workers.
In a letter signed by the council’s National Secretary, Gbenga Olowoyo, on behalf of National Chairman Benjamin Yanto, the union requested a meeting on or before August 11, warning that continued delays could trigger industrial unrest.
The council noted that two previous letters on the matter had gone unanswered, stressing that resolving the outstanding welfare issues was essential to preventing what it described as a brewing industrial crisis.
President Bola Tinubu approved the N35,000 monthly provisional wage award for federal workers in October 2023 as a temporary measure to cushion the effects of petrol subsidy removal and the rising cost of living.
The award, initially approved for six months pending negotiations on a new national minimum wage, was implemented inconsistently, leaving several months unpaid.
In April 2025, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation announced that the outstanding five months would be settled in instalments of N35,000 each.
While two tranches have already been paid, the remaining balance is expected to be cleared in phases.
Both the federal government and organised labour reaffirmed their commitment to continued dialogue aimed at resolving outstanding welfare issues across the federal public service.
