Accountant-General: Labour strike may delay September salaries

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Alh Ahmed Idris, on Thursday called on the Nigerian Labour Congress to shelve it’s warning strike in order to allow the office complete the process of payment of salaries of civil servants.

Idris who said this in a statement issued in Abuja noted that the industrial action had led to a situation where workers who were directly involved in the release of funds for payment of salaries could no longer have access to their office.

He maintained that the payment of salaries could not be achieved under an atmosphere where critical stakeholders were not allowed access into their offices.

This, he noted, may make it difficult for the Federal Government to fulfil its promise of payment of salaries to workers before the end of the month.

He appealed to labour unions to shelve their strike in order to enable the office pay salaries to workers.

Idris noted that while he had reported to duty on Thursday with members of staff of his office, they were denied access as the gates were shut.

He explained that after much appeal to the labour union, he was allowed to go into the office while the gate remain shut to other members of staff.

This development, he noted, had made it practically impossible for the office to complete the process of payment of salaries.

He said, “We have a standing order from Mr. President to pay workers salaries from the 25th of every month, which we have striven hard to fulfil to Nigerian workers and this month will not be an exception.

“I must explain that salary payment involves a number of processes that do not begin and end with the OAGF.

“There are other critical stakeholders like the Cash Management Department in the Ministry of Finance and others who are supposed to do their beat before we can finalise.

“On coming to the office this morning we met the gates of the office locked and wondered how we can keep this promise if we are being locked out of the office.

“After speaking with the local arm of the Labour in the office on the need to pay salaries, they conceded to allow me and some of my staff in but the gates are still locked.”