On Thursday night, Federal Civil Servants confirmed the receipt of their long-awaited wage awards for October 2023, following a temporary suspension of payment. This payment, amounting to N35,000, was part of an agreement reached between the Federal Government and Organized Labour to alleviate the adverse effects of the subsidy removal on Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).
Originally, President Bola Tinubu had announced a wage award of N25,000 for “low-grade workers” within the Federal Civil Service during his Independence Day speech. However, subsequent discussions between the government and organized labor led to an increase in the finalized amount to N35,000.
The payment, set to commence from September 1, 2023, was initially intended to cover both September and October. However, the government disbursed the wage award for September only, leaving civil servants in Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies without the October allowances.
Reports indicated a reduction of N100 billion in the allocation for the wage awards in the 2023 supplementary budget, raising doubts about the government’s commitment to fulfilling its wage obligations. The partial payment prompted criticism from the Nigeria Labour Congress, labeling the government’s actions as dishonorable. The Trade Union Congress warned of potential industrial action if civil servants were not promptly paid their due wage awards.
Despite these challenges, a senior civil servant revealed that some civil servants had started receiving the wage award for October 2023. The payment covered October, with wage awards for November and December still pending.