Federal government employees are set to begin receiving the new minimum wage [/b]payments starting from Thursday, September 26th.
Bawa Mokwa, the Spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, made this announcement to journalists, confirming that workers on the federal payroll can expect notifications regarding their updated salary payments starting today.
However, Mokwa did not specify if the new minimum wage would be paid along with any outstanding arrears, leaving this detail uncertain.
“Federal Government civil servants will start receiving the new minimum wage from today (Thursday) this September 2024. What I can confirm is that the minimum wage salary payment starts today, but I cannot speak on the issue of arrears,” Mokwa told the Daily Post.
This update follows a recent statement by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission Chairman, Ekpo Nta, who on Tuesday confirmed that the government had approved an increase in the consolidated public service salary structure (CONPSS) to comply with the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act of 2024.
This development comes after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved a new minimum wage of N70,000, a decision made on July 18, 2024.
Following this, the Senate passed the new minimum wage bill into law, officially endorsing the pay raise.
Earlier, the Federal Government, through the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC), had announced that the payment of the revised minimum wage would commence in July 2024.
The NSIWC Chairman, Ekpo Nta, disclosed this information during a press briefing held on Tuesday in Abuja.
Nta explained that the July implementation date was in line with the date President Bola Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law, after its passage by the National Assembly.
This recent announcement appears to contradict an earlier statement made by Nkiruka Onyejeocha, the Minister of State for Labour, who had previously declared that the new wage would take effect from May 1, 2024.
As a result of the government's decision to backdate the implementation to July, only two months of arrears are expected to be paid if disbursements begin by the end of October.
The announcement also confirmed the approval of the revision of the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), along with other salary frameworks that apply to federal workers.
Last week, the Committee on Consequential Adjustments in Salaries for civil servants convened to discuss the structure of the new minimum wage. After deliberations, they agreed to backdate its implementation to July 29, 2024.
In addition to this, the committee, which is headed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack, recommended that the wage award, which had previously been discontinued, be paid up until July 28, 2024.
According to sources, the government factored in the current economic conditions in the country before making these decisions.
However, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed dissatisfaction with the government's decision to backdate the implementation only to July. The NLC’s Head of Information, Benson Upah, described the decision as “unfair and unacceptable.”
Similarly, Timmy Etim, the National Vice President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), criticized the move, recalling that Minister Onyejeocha had previously promised during May Day celebrations that the new wage would take effect starting in May.
Addressing these concerns during the press briefing, Ekpo Nta clarified that the implementation of the new minimum wage would officially begin from July 29, 2024, as this was the date when the President approved the bill.