The Nigerian government has said it has commenced payment of five-month wage award arrears of N35,000 to civil servants since the end of May 2025.

This comes as the federal government clarified that it has implemented a N70,000 minimum wage payment to all its employees.

The Director of Media, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, made these clarifications known in an exclusive interview with Journalist on Monday ahead of the resumption of work after the Eid-Al-Adha holidays.

Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress, through its spokesperson, Benson Upah, in an Arise Television interview on Sallah day (last Friday), berated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration over the delay in payment of wage awards and allowances.

Upah had lamented that the Tinubu’s government had neglected workers’ welfare, as economic hardship took a toll on civil servants.

He described the delay as a “betrayal of trust” and “shameful”.

“This is a betrayal of trust and an abuse of our patience,” Upah declared, adding: “It’s completely unacceptable.”

However, reacting, Mokwa explained that the government has kicked off the payment of the arrears of the wage award.

He stated that the payment would be made in installments in the next four months.

“We have commenced the payment of N35,000 wage arrears.

“Except for some agencies that are independently paying for the wage award, for example, the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“The N35,000 wage award was an interim solution by the federal government before the N70,000 minimum wage approval.

“This was done in five months, but Labour argued that the payment didn’t commence immediately, having a five-month arrears.

“Of the five months, we have paid the first month. Four months are remaining, which would be paid in installments,” he told Journalist.

Similarly, Mokwa clarified that the federal government has commenced the minimum wage payment across its ministries, agencies, and parastatals.

“On the minimum wage pay, it has been implemented across the board,” he added.

Efforts to speak with Upah over the matter were unsuccessful as of the timf of filing this report.

Recall that in July Tinubu signed the minimum wage bill into law.

However, despite the minimum wage approval, there are still complaints of its full implementation at both federal and the state government levels nearly a year later.