The Federal Government has commenced the long-awaited payment of wage awards to staff in key sectors including health institutions, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Population Commission (NPC), and the Ministry of Transport, after a delay of over two months.
The payment, which began today, covers only one month (April) of the promised wage award despite expectations of multiple months’ arrears.
Our correspondent who monitored the development gathered that some staff at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, and other federal health facilities confirmed receiving alerts for the one-month payment.
Workers in affected sectors had expressed frustration over the delay, noting that colleagues in other ministries and agencies had been paid earlier in the year. The delay had raised concerns about equity and government’s commitment to labour welfare.
Officials of the Ministry of Finance have yet to issue a formal statement on the phased payments or clarify whether the remaining months will be paid subsequently.
It would be recalled that the wage award was introduced by the Federal Government as a temporary relief to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal and rising cost of living.
As of the time of filing this report, staff of NDLEA and the Ministry of Transport confirmed receipt of the one-month wage award, while many others await clarification on the timeline for full disbursement.
