By JACINTA NWACHUKWU

Some Federal civil servants within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have expressed dissatisfaction with the mode of payment of the arrears of N35,000 wage award by the Federal Government.

Some of the workers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, said the federal government should have paid the outstanding N175,000 wage award once rather than paying it over a period of five months.

Mr John Lewis, a senior staff with the Ministry of Information, expressed displeasure over the delay and the money was being paid to workers.

?The federal government gave us an assurance that they would pay but I am surprised that they only paid one month instead of the five months they are owing workers.

?I don?t think those in charge have the interest of civil servants at heart. This is the same way they did with the minimum wage.

?Nobody knows what minimum wage is or if they have started the payment because what we are seeing is the N40,000 paid across board,? he said.

According to him, the wage award is supposed to be paid at once rather than in bits because it is already in arrears.

?It is as if they are doing civil servants a favour, whereas we earned it,? he said.

Also, Mr Unekwu-ojo Idachaba, a Chief Librarian, said that the payment came as a surprise but that he was not satisfied with the arrangement, saying that the payment was long overdue.

?The federal government owes federal civil servants five months of N35,000 which they have promised to pay for a long time; now they are paying the money in piecemeal rather than in a lump sum,? Idachaba said.

He said the one-month payment of N35,000 was less beneficial and useful to civil servants compared to a single payment of N175,000.

Idachaba underscored the need for better financial planning and transparency from the government.

Another civil servant, Mrs Joy Okezia, however, expressed delight that over the the payment of the wage award, saying that it came at the right time.

?I am so happy the federal government finally decided to pay this money, even though it was a payment for one month out of the five months wage award arrears, I am so happy because I was not expecting it.

?I was thinking that labour had to embark on strike before the money would be paid to civil servants in the country. I want to urge the government to always do the needful on issues concerns workers in the country,? she said.

Okezia expressed the hope that the remaining money would be paid on time.

On his part, Malam Abubakar Bakari, said it was a good thing that government had started the payment of the wage award arrears.

Bakari, however, urged the federal government to always ensure the welfare of workers, as they were pivotal to the economic growth of any nation.

NAN reports that the first tranche of the five months arrears of the wage award was recently paid to workers by the federal government.

Bawa Mokwa, Director, Press and Public Relations in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), said in a statement on Monday, that the arrears would be paid at N35,000 for five months. (NAN)

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