The Federal Government has announced plans to recover salary overpayments mistakenly disbursed to some workers in December 2024 due to a system error. These excess payments are now being deducted from the salaries of affected employees.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) clarified that there were no salary shortfalls in January and February 2025. The statement, signed by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, explained that the payments during these months reflected normal salary levels following the exhaustion of arrears disbursed in the last quarter of 2024.
The government had paid arrears covering the minimum wage adjustment, the 25% and 35% salary increase, and wage awards between October and December 2024. These additional payments temporarily raised workers’ earnings, leading to misconceptions that their salaries had been reduced in early 2025.
“Normal salary payments commenced in January 2025 after all arrears had been settled. Some employees assumed they had been shortchanged, whereas they were actually receiving their standard salaries. A review of the current salary structure will confirm this,” the statement read.
The OAGF emphasized that unless new salary adjustments are introduced, the amounts paid in January and February 2025 will remain unchanged until further government review.
On the December 2024 overpayment, the OAGF confirmed that the payroll system error responsible for the excess payments had been rectified, and deductions were in progress to recover the funds.
“There were instances of overpayments in December 2024 due to a system error. The issue has been corrected, and deductions from affected workers’ salaries will continue until the excess payments are fully recovered,” the statement added.
Regarding promotion arrears, the OAGF clarified that their disbursement is overseen by the Standing Committee on Promotion and Salary Arrears in the Budget Office. This committee compiles and reviews arrears from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies before forwarding them to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System for payment.
The OAGF confirmed that batches 1 to 6 of promotion arrears payments had been processed, with additional payments awaiting Budget Office approval. It urged affected workers to report any salary concerns through formal complaint channels for prompt resolution.
