Author: Gist Correspondent

Federal and state civil servants have begun receiving their January salaries following the release of ₦1.969 trillion by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for distribution among the three tiers of government.

The funds, shared for the month of January, saw the Federal Government receive ₦653.5 billion, while the 36 states got a total of ₦706.4 billion. The 774 local government councils received ₦513.2 billion, while oil-producing states were allocated ₦96 billion as 13 per cent derivation from oil revenue.

A breakdown of the revenue showed that ₦846.5 billion was generated from Value Added Tax (VAT), ₦1.631 trillion from other statutory sources, and ₦38.1 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy.

Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, confirmed on Friday that federal workers had started receiving their salaries through their respective banks.

“Federal civil servants have started receiving their January salaries. I can also confirm that I received mine on Friday,” the minister said.

She added that the Federal Government had fulfilled its obligation, noting that any delay in salary payments at the state level was not attributable to the centre.

Checks revealed that several categories of federal workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including judiciary staff, employees of the Budget Office of the Federation and some workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, have received their January pay.

Reports from various states also indicated that several state governments, including Oyo, Plateau, Niger, Kogi, Ondo, Bayelsa and Edo, have paid their workers’ salaries for the month.

Edo State Commissioner for Finance, Emmanuel Okoebor, said the state does not depend solely on allocations from the federation account to meet its salary obligations. He confirmed that workers on the state payroll had already been paid, noting that adequate preparations were made ahead of the FAAC disbursement.

However, civil servants in Kwara State are yet to receive their January salaries, which are usually paid by the 26th of every month. An employee of a state-owned agency said as of yesterday, salaries had not been credited.

Confirming the development, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in the state, Comrade Abdulrahman Onikijipa, said the delay might be linked to budget-related issues.

“Maybe it is because of the budget. The salary may be paid next week,” he said.