The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has explained that delays in the payment of February 2026 salaries for staff of the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and four other federal agencies were caused by shortfalls in personnel cost allocations.
The clarification was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, Bawa Mokwa.
According to the statement, the delay affected workers in several government institutions, including the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the Rural Electrification Agency, Kamuku National Park, and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria.
The OAGF said the affected ministries, departments and agencies experienced gaps in their personnel cost budgets for February, which resulted in the delayed payment.
“The delay was caused by salary shortfalls recorded in the personnel cost allocations of the affected MDAs,” the statement noted.
The office said the explanation followed concerns raised by civil servants over the non-payment of their February salaries in some federal organisations.
To address the issue, the OAGF said the affected agencies had been directed to liaise with the Cash Management Office under the Federal Ministry of Finance in order to resolve the funding shortfalls.
READ ALSO: OAGF Blames Technical Glitch for Delay in June Workers’ Salaries
It stressed that the delay was limited to the listed organisations and confirmed that other federal workers had already received their February salaries.
The office also responded to complaints from civil servants whose salary accounts are domiciled with Standard Chartered Bank, explaining that although the salaries had been paid into the bank, some workers were unable to access their funds.
According to the OAGF, the situation arose due to a bank policy requiring a minimum opening balance of ₦7 million for certain accounts.
Despite the challenges, the office assured affected workers that efforts were ongoing to address the issues and ensure prompt payment of outstanding salaries.
Meanwhile, the proposed 2026 Federal Government budget projects about ₦8.36 trillion for personnel costs across ministries, departments and agencies, with additional provisions for pensions and gratuities expected to increase total staff-related expenditure.