Federal workers yesterday protested against the continuous delay in payment of arrears of the N35,000 wage award, saying that it is unacceptable.

Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Ibrahim Abbas, said there could be no reason that can be acceptable for the long delay in clearing the three months arrears of the wage award. According to him, the money is needed now to cushion the effect of economic hardship.

“The condition of government workers has never been this bad. The Federal Government needs to take all necessary steps to clear the outstanding three months arrears of the wage award,” he said. Another civil servant, Patrick Ugo, also urged the Federal Government to pay up the arrears without further delay.

He said: “The government should realise that the present minimum wage of N70 ,000 is unrealistic. The wage award will give the workers some relief. “I will urge the Federal Government, through the Accountant General of the Federation, to pay the outstanding of three months, totaling N105,000 with the January salaries.”

Sule Aliu urged the Federal Government to make the N35,000 wage award a permanent addition to the monthly salaries of civil servants. According to him, this will go a long way to alleviate the financial pressure of the workers.

The wage award is a temporary payment to workers, approved in 2023 to ease the burden of fuel subsidy removal, supplementing salaries while a new national minimum wage was negotiated. It was established to act as a cost-of-living adjustment.

However, payment of it has faced delays, causing frustration and leading to ongoing demands from labour unions for full implementation and clearance of arrears.

In April 2025, the government announced that it would pay the outstanding five months of the N35,000 wage award arrears to workers. The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) said the government had earlier paid five months of the wage award in instalments.