ABUJA, Nigeria — The Federal Government has assured federal public servants that payment of the outstanding wage award will commence before the middle of August, while steps are also being intensified to clear outstanding promotion arrears and other pending workers’ entitlements.

Police Deploy 15,000 Officers For Osun Governorship Poll

The assurance was given on Wednesday 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, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir. The meeting, held in Abuja, focused on resolving outstanding labour issues, strengthening relations between the government and organised labour, and sustaining industrial harmony within the federal public service.

According to a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Oyedele explained that the government had already begun addressing many of the concerns raised by labour leaders even before receiving their formal communication. He disclosed that all necessary approvals required for the payment of the outstanding wage award were in the final stages, expressing confidence that eligible federal workers would begin receiving the payments before the middle of August.

The minister reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to fulfilling agreements reached with organised labour, stressing that the administration would continue to prioritise workers’ welfare through responsible and realistic implementation of its commitments.

“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,” Oyedele stated.

Beyond the wage award, the minister also addressed the issue of outstanding promotion arrears, assuring labour leaders that the remaining batches were being processed in accordance with established procedures. He directed relevant officials of the ministry to immediately review all documents submitted by the JPSNC, engage affected Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and accelerate action on every outstanding labour matter requiring government intervention.

Oyedele acknowledged concerns over delays in implementing some agreements and pledged that the government would continue to build trust with workers through transparency, regular engagement and prompt execution of approved policies.

Earlier, JPSNC National President, Comrade Kabiru Ado Minjibir, urged the Federal Government to fast-track the settlement of pending labour issues affecting federal workers. He listed the outstanding wage award, promotion arrears, salary relativity concerns involving health workers, implementation of the Peculiar Allowance, and other welfare-related matters as issues requiring immediate attention.

According to Minjibir, prompt implementation of the government’s commitments would strengthen industrial peace, improve staff morale and reinforce workers’ confidence in the administration’s commitment to their welfare.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Raymond Omachi, assured organised labour that the ministry would continue working closely with unions and relevant government agencies to ensure that approved workers’ entitlements were processed and released without unnecessary delays.

Omachi said collaboration among ministries and agencies remained essential to resolving outstanding labour matters, adding that sustained dialogue between government and labour was critical to maintaining industrial stability across the public service.

Providing further clarification, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, Mohammed Sanusi Danjuma, revealed that Batch Seven promotion arrears, which were mistakenly omitted during an earlier payment exercise, were now being processed alongside Batch Nine.

He expressed optimism that affected officers would begin receiving their outstanding payments once the current processing exercise was completed.

Danjuma also confirmed that discussions were ongoing with relevant MDAs to resolve outstanding issues relating to the implementation of the 40 per cent Peculiar Allowance and other pending workers’ benefits.

On the payment process, the ministry’s Director of Cash Management, Christiana Osho, disclosed that reconciliation for the outstanding wage award had already been completed.

According to her, the release of funds has reached its final stage, and once approval is completed, payments to eligible federal public servants will begin immediately, while promotion arrears will continue to be settled according to the approved schedule.

The latest assurance comes after weeks of pressure from organised labour, which had repeatedly called on the government to settle outstanding wage awards and implement previously approved allowances. Labour leaders have consistently argued that fulfilling these commitments is essential to cushioning the impact of rising living costs on federal workers and maintaining industrial peace across the country’s public service.