By Matthew Denis
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has clarified that there were no shortfalls in the salaries paid to federal workers in January and February 2025.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa.
The OAGF explained that the salaries received in the first two months of 2025 reflected the standard pay structure, following the exhaustion of various arrears that had been disbursed between October and December 2024.
In the statement, the OAGF emphasised the need to clarify the alleged shortfall in order to ease concerns among workers.
“Various salary arrears were paid in the last quarter of 2024, including minimum wage arrears, the 25%/35% salary increase arrears, and wage award arrears. These payments, made from October to December 2024, temporarily raised salaries above normal levels,” the statement read.
The OAGF noted that with these arrears fully disbursed, the payment of normal salaries resumed in January 2025. Some workers, the Office stated, mistook the transition to standard salaries as a reduction, whereas it merely reflected their regular earnings.
“Upon reviewing the current salary table, it becomes evident that there was no shortfall. Barring any new salary adjustments in the future, the salaries paid in January and February 2025 shall remain unchanged until such a time when the Federal Government undertakes a review,” the statement added.
The OAGF also disclosed that system errors resulted in some workers receiving overpayments in December 2024. These errors have been rectified, and deductions are being made from affected employees’ salaries to recover the excess amounts. The recovery process will continue until all overpayments are fully recouped.
On the issue of promotion arrears, the OAGF clarified that the responsibility lies with the Standing Committee on Promotion and Salary Arrears within the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF). This committee compiles and verifies salary and promotion arrears from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) before forwarding them in batches to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) for payment.
According to the statement, the IPPIS has already processed and paid arrears for batches 1 to 6 and is awaiting additional batches from the Budget Office for further payments.
Reiterating its commitment to efficient payroll management, the OAGF advised federal workers with legitimate salary concerns to follow the formal complaint process to ensure swift resolution.
