FG Begins February Salary Payments, Cites Technical Fault for Delay

The federal government has started paying February 2026 salaries to workers on the treasury payroll, attributing the recent delay to a technical problem.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) said the payment process commenced the same day. The office explained that the delay was caused by a system malfunction, which it said has now been resolved.

According to the statement, steps have been taken to prevent a repeat of the issue.

The government also confirmed that it has secured approval and completed processing for the payment of one month’s wage award arrears out of the three months owed to workers.

The development follows pressure from organised labour in the federal public service. Last week, the Trade Union side of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council issued a February 27 deadline to the government, demanding the release of funds to settle outstanding wage awards and allowances across ministries, departments and agencies. The unions warned that failure to meet the deadline would trigger action by the eight unions in the civil service.

Labour leaders had accused the government of withholding funds, stating that relevant agencies were ready to process payments once the Ministry of Finance released the required approvals.

Earlier on Monday, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced a phased plan to clear the arrears after a meeting between the federal government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

According to him, the May 2024 wage award arrears will be paid alongside February salaries. The June 2024 arrears are scheduled for payment after the March salary, while the July 2024 arrears will be settled after the April salary.

The meeting was convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, amid threats by labour unions to picket the Ministry of Finance over the unpaid arrears.