"February Salaries Delayed: Accountant-General Explains Why Workers Are Still Waiting”.
By Victor Idajili
The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has clarified why staff of the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and four other federal agencies have not yet received their February 2026 salaries.
According to a statement by Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Accountant-General’s office, the delay is due to gaps in the budget allocated for personnel costs in the affected organisations.
The agencies impacted include the Federal Ministry of Steel Development, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, the National Rural Electrification Agency, Kamuku National Park, and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria.
The shortfall in funds caused the hold-up in salary payments.
The Accountant-General’s office stated that the affected organisations have been instructed to liaise with the Cash Management Office of the Federal Ministry of Finance to address the funding gaps. Salaries for other federal workers outside these agencies have already been processed.
The statement also addressed civil servants with salary accounts at Standard Chartered Bank, noting that some employees were unable to access their funds because the bank requires a minimum account balance of seven million naira. Despite this policy, the salaries were fully transferred to the bank.
The office assured workers that measures are being taken to resolve the delays and ensure timely payment of salaries.
The 2026 federal budget allocates about N8.36 trillion for personnel costs, with additional provisions for pensions and gratuities, reflecting the government’s planned expenditure on staff-related obligations.
