The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita said that Government is exploring the option of phased payments of federal civil servants benefits incurred through service wide staff claims, particularly those bothering on promotion arrears, first 28 days, repatriation allowance and death benefits, among others which amounts to about N293bn.
Speaking at a press conference held in her office as part of the activities marking the 2016 Civil Service Week Celebration, Oyo-Ita said, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to explore ways of making the payments.
She said that Government has not been able to pay the claims because of the financial challenges presently facing the country.
The Head of Service stated that the affected workers will be paid their claims after the conclusion of the phased payment formula that is being reconciled in collaboration with the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
She assured that staff welfare would be addressed from many fronts, noting that the service was exploring the possibility of providing bulk payments of rent allowances for workers within this financial year.
Mrs. Oyo-Ita stated further that a committee set up on national salary review would sit with the relevant stakeholders to take a decision on pay rise, adding that there was no plan to retrench workers, saying “it is cruel to throw people into the labour market.”