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Federal Workers In 90 MDAs Yet To Get January Salaries
Federal civil servants in about 90 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are yet to receive their January salaries, Daily Trust can report.
The affected MDAs include the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHoCSF), the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, the Ministry of Education, the National Population Commission, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Voice of Nigeria, among others.
In separate interviews with Daily Trust and Premium Times, the workers lamented and said their December 2023 salary delay experience ought not to have been repeated.
“As I am talking to you, myself and three of my colleagues have not been paid. The situation is not fair not with the current situation of the daily increment of prices of food items and other things in the country,” one of the workers said.
Others alleged that the delay in the payment of their salaries was an indication that the government was insensitive to the sufferings of the masses.
The delay in the December salary payment had been attributed to technical issues relating to upload and harmonization of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
The delay in the payment of January salaries was blamed on the technical glitch on the Government Integrated Financial Management System (GIFMIS) platform by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF).
GIFMIS is an IT-based system for budget management and accounting put in place by the federal government to improve public expenditure management processes and enhance greater accountability and transparency across ministries and agencies.
A January 31 memo titled, ‘Delay in the Payment of January 2024 Salary’, from the bursary department of the National Mathematics Centre, Abuja, to all its staff, signed by the acting bursar, Pius Ukwah, said, “We wish to inform you that January 2024 salaries will be delayed beyond normal.
“As of today, the OAGF is still working on finalising the 2024 appropriation on the GIFMIS platform and as a result, the personnel warrant for January is yet to be released”.
The memo, which copied the Director/CE, the Registrar and pasted on all notice boards, stated further, “The same situation applies to all MDAs and not just the centre. We regret the inconvenience caused by this delay.”
In Ekiti State, some of the workers who spoke with Premium Times included staff of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN); National Orientation Agency (NOA), and Federal Ministry of Information, among others.
An official of FUOYE, Wole Balogun, said with the hardship being faced by the people, it was inconceivable that salaries could be delayed longer than necessary.
Balogun, who blamed the delay on an unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck associated with the payment platforms, urged the federal government to expedite action on the payment, “because the situation is becoming unbearable.”
A staffer of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, Folashade Daramola, also lamented the delay. She noted that many members of staff have loan obligations that they ought to have paid as at when due, which have remained pending.
Also, Owoeye Ilesanmi, who is a staffer of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), said that in addition to delay in the payment of January salary, the federal government has reneged on the payment of the wage award.
In Katsina State, many federal workers spoken to also said they had not been paid their salary and palliatives support from the government.
Some of the affected workers told Premium Time that the delay was affecting their work schedule, as they now find it difficult to go to work, especially those living in areas far from their offices.
“I work in a department that requires me to go to the office every day, but I’ve finished my savings and I’m finding it difficult to travel to Dutsin Ma to undertake my responsibility,” Faruk (surname withheld), who is an engineer with the department of Physical Planning and Works at the Federal University, Dutsin Ma, said.
Another non-academic worker of the Federal Polytechnic, Daura, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, said the delay in salary payment was affecting her activities, especially because she travelled daily from Katsina to Daura.
An official of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in Edo State, Jude Abugu, described the delay in payment of salaries as commonplace in recent months.
A memo from the Accountant-General’s Office said work was ongoing towards finalising the 2024 budget on the GIFMIS platform.
When contacted last night, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa, told Daily Trust that about 90 offices across the MDAs were affected, including some universities and polytechnics.
He, however, said many of the workers had started receiving their salaries on Thursday; while others did on Friday and at the weekend.
“The issue was attributed to issue of uploading the 2024 budget and making it current because the salary was paid from the 2024 budget instead of the tradition where they overlap the budget,” he explained.
“All has been finalized on Friday. They are supposed to have started getting since yesterday (Saturday). If they don’t get, maybe it is from the banks, from tomorrow (Monday) morning, definitely they will get it”.
A top official in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, who insisted on not being named, said the delay in salary payment was not a punishment for workers.
He confirmed receiving his salary, but said he was aware that some of his “superior officers and some junior workers are yet to receive theirs.”
By Gloria Ikibah
Tempers flared at the National Assembly on Thursday as lawmakers took a hard line against two federal agencies during a tense 2026 budget defence session in Abuja.
The House of Representatives Committee on Science and Engineering halted consideration of the 2026 budget proposal of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), escalating the matter by moving to strip the agency of its allocation entirely from the national appropriation bill.
The committee also resolved to recommend the removal of NACETEM’s Director-General, Dr Olushola Odusanya, over his failure to appear before the panel to defend the agency’s budget and submit the documents required for legislative scrutiny.
Lawmakers described the absence as unacceptable, stressing that public officials are accountable to the legislature.
The committee maintained that no appointee should consider themselves above parliamentary oversight, particularly in matters concerning public funds.
Members warned that the decision will send a clear signal to other heads of agencies about the consequences of disregarding invitations from the National Assembly.
The standoff effectively leaves NACETEM facing the prospect of zero allocation in 2026 unless the matter is revisited.
In a separate but equally probing session, the committee turned its attention to the Nigerian Council of Food Science and Technology (NiCFOST), where concerns were raised over both its 2025 budget performance and its 2026 proposal.
Lawmakers were troubled by the council’s low internally generated revenue, reported at roughly N385,000 in 2024 and N285,860 in 2025. The figures stood in stark contrast to a sharp rise in overhead costs, which nearly doubled from N95.40 million in 2025 to N195.73 million in the 2026 proposal.
The council’s registrar explained that its revenue is drawn solely from registration fees and annual professional dues paid by its members, numbering about 10,000. Registration is set at N5,000, while annual dues stand at N2,000.
However, she was unable to account for the significant jump in overhead expenditure, noting that the increase was not part of the estimates initially submitted to the Budget Office.
The committee ruled that the discrepancies warranted further examination and indicated that NiCFOST would be summoned again for additional clarification before any final decision is taken.
With scrutiny tightening and patience wearing thin, agencies appearing before the National Assembly this budget season may be under pressure to come better prepared — or risk paying a steep price.
By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recommended that 2026 budgetary allocations be withheld from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), and the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), along with 17 other federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), over what it described as persistent accountability breaches.
The resolution was reached during a public hearing convened by the committee chaired by Rep. Bamidele Salam, on Thursday in Abuja.klljk
Lawmakers said the affected agencies had repeatedly ignored invitations and directives to respond to audit queries raised in the Auditor-General for the Federation’s Annual Reports for 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Others listed for budget exclusion include the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Federal Ministry of Housing & Urban Development, Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Federal University of Gashua, Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Federal Polytechnic, Offa, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Federal Medical Centre, Bida, Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, Federal Medical Centre, Katsina, Federal Government College, Kwali, Federal Government Boys’ College, Garki, Abuja, Federal Government College, Rubochi, Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Owerri, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, and FCT Secondary Education Board.
According to the committee, the agencies failed to submit key financial records and declined to appear before it to address audit observations bordering on non-compliance with Financial Regulations, breaches of due process, and significant lapses in internal control systems.
The committee further noted that several of the agencies had not submitted audited financial statements for periods ranging from three to five years or more, in contravention of statutory requirements.
Speaking at the hearing, the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Salam, said the legislature cannot continue to approve public funds for institutions that sidestep accountability.
“Public funds are held in trust for the Nigerian people. Any agency that fails to account for previous allocations, refuses to submit audited accounts, or ignores legislative summons cannot, in good conscience, expect fresh budgetary provisions. Accountability is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation,” Salam said.
He stressed that the recommendation was intended as a corrective step rather than a punishment, aimed at restoring fiscal discipline and reinforcing transparency across federal institutions.
The committee maintained that the proposed suspension of allocations aligns with the provisions of the Financial Regulations 2009 and the constitutional oversight powers vested in the National Assembly.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Infectious Diseases, Hon. Amobi Godwin Ogah, has said the National Assembly will ensure that the 2026 budget is implemented in full, marking a departure from the challenges that affected the execution of the 2025 appropriation.
Speaking on Thursday during the 2025 budget performance review and the defence of the 2026 budget by relevant agencies, Ogah stressed the legislature’s determination to strengthen oversight and guarantee that approved funds are properly utilised.
He noted that lessons learned from the current fiscal cycle would guide lawmakers in tightening monitoring mechanisms and working closely with government agencies to improve accountability and delivery in the coming year.
The Chairman further urged President Bola Tinubu to step up efforts in delivering on his campaign promises.
He said: “I would like to place on record that the past year has been a very difficult and challenging year for our country as we witnessed virtually zero percent budget implementation.
“It is our hope that this anomaly will be addressed going forward so that confidence can be restored in our government and our people will continue to reap the dividend of democracy, which is the reason why we all aspire to represent our people”.
“We would also like to charge the Renewed Hope administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR to redouble their efforts to ensure steady economic growth and development for the nation.
“It is our expectation that no stone will be left unturned to ensure full implementation of the Budget of the Federal Government of Nigeria, going forward and we hope we shall never go back to the Egypt that we have left”.
Present at the budget defence was the Director General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Director General, National Arbovirus and Vector Research Centre and Principal, National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre.
Budget Snub Sparks Showdown: Reps Move to Axe NACETEM Funding, Query Food Council’s Finances
Reps Move to Bar NiMet, FHA, SON, Others from 2026 Budget Over Audit Failures
Reps Pledge Full Delivery of 2026 Budget
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