The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has issued a strong warning to Nigeria’s Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), threatening to picket the office over alleged salary cuts in January and February 2025.
This comes as the Council rejected OAGF’s recent claim that there were no shortfalls in salary payments during the period under review.
In a statement released on Monday, JNPSNC’s National Secretary, Olowoyo Gbenga, insisted that federal workers had experienced unjustified deductions, contrary to the OAGF’s stance.
The dispute escalated after the OAGF, on March 7, maintained that the Federal Government had fully paid salaries without any deficits.
However, JNPSNC, which represents all federal workers, refuted this claim, arguing that the government still owed civil servants outstanding wage awards covering February to July 2024.
According to the Council, these payments were supposed to continue until the implementation of the new minimum wage, originally expected to begin in August 2024.
Gbenga criticized the ambiguity surrounding arrears payments, dismissing OAGF’s justification as misleading.
He pointed to an official circular from the National Salaries, Wages, and Income Commission, issued on October 19, 2023, which clearly outlined wage entitlements.
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“The claim that arrears of 25% and 35% have been settled is highly misleading. The OAGF’s explanation does not align with the official directive on these payments,” the statement read.
The Council further accused the Accountant General’s office of manipulating the 40% Peculiar Allowance, alleging that workers received significantly less than the stipulated amount.
To prevent industrial action, JNPSNC has demanded the full payment of March salaries, along with arrears from the disputed months.
The Council warned that failure to rectify the situation would result in mass protests at the Accountant General’s office.
“Should the OAGF fail to correct these anomalies, workers will have no choice but to mobilize and picket the office in protest against the unjust salary cuts,” the statement concluded.
As tensions rise, all eyes are now on the Federal Government to address the concerns and avert a potential disruption in the public sector.