Barring any last-minute changes, the Federal Government of Nigeria is set to commence the payment of the proposed salary increase for civil servants by the end of April, as President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to give his final approval soon.
According to exclusive information from officials of the Federal Government, the pay increase, known as consequential allowance, will result in a 40% rise in the current pay of government workers.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Olajide Oshundun, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, revealed that the payment of the 40% pay rise may begin at the end of April, with the three months arrears of January, February, and March to be paid at a later date.
Oshundun, however, could not confirm if the proposal by the government committee tasked with the responsibility had received final approval from the President. He stated, “Consequential allowance Salaries will be increased by 40 per cent for civil servants from level 1 to level 17. The increase will be 40 per cent of what a public servant is earning now.
They will start paying from the end of this month (April) and the arrears of January, February and March will be paid later. The salary increase is effective from January 2023. That is the proposal submitted by the committee set up to look into salary adjustment for civil servants, but I am not sure if the President has signed it yet.”
Last month, Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, disclosed that the Federal Government had approved the pay raise for civil servants in Nigeria.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics data, the latest rise in inflation rate at 22.04 per cent is the third consecutive increase this year, increasing by 0.13 per cent points when compared to the February 2023 headline inflation rate.