Many federal civil servants across the country have experienced delay in payment of their December, 2023 salaries.
They said it was sad they marked Christmas yesterday without money, a development that affected their families, especially those who had no savings.
Many of those who spoke to our correspondent lamented that they did not celebrate Christmas in line with tradition of merriments, heavy cooking, and visitations.
Findings revealed that all the workers in federal ministries, some in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHoCSF), and others in Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) said the development was unexpected.
Sources said only workers in revenue generating agencies like NNPC, NPA, NIMASA, NCC, CBN, FIRS, among many others got their salaries for December.
In separate interviews with Daily Trust, the affected workers lamented the inability of the government to pay their salaries, especially in the Christmas celebration season.
“Despite the general misgivings about previous administrations, I cannot remember anytime our December salaries were delayed,” one of the workers said.
When contacted, the Director of Communication in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHoCSF), Mallam Mohammed Ahmed, said that they were not in charge of payment of salaries and that he believed something was being done by the appropriate authorities.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mallam Bawa Mokwa, said that the process was ongoing and workers would soon receive their salaries.
However, a top government official confided in Daily Trust that the delay was due to a technical glitch that was being addressed and that workers would be receiving their salaries before the end of the day (Monday).