By Dayo Omoogun.
It has emerged that Federal Workers are yet to receive their salaries just a day away from Christmas thus making many workers to approach the celebrations on a lowkey note.
SHARPEDGENews checks revealed that several civil servants who had planned to spend the Christmas outside Abuja are unable to actualise their plans due to the non payment of salaries.
Also, many others are unable to take advantage of the end of year clearance sales offered by merchandising outlets.
Mr. Jimoh Saliu, a worker with one of the ministries said “During the recent Moslem Festivals we were paid in good time to help in our preparations.
“I was looking forward to the same early payment but I don’t know what is happening.”
Another worker was overheard telling someone on the phone that “I no go fit travel again oh. Dem no pay us our salary. Abeg I go find time come visit una early next year.”
For Tony Obaje, (not real name) who works at the Ministry of Environment, it is a mixed bag; “while it would have been nice to have extra cash to spend but at the same time it is like saving us from the well-known January blues.”
Some workers however were just receiving alerts at the time of this report even as Christmas is just some hours away.
Asked whether the delay was due to government’s desire to effect the payment of the new minimum wage of N30,000, the respondents said they don’t know, as there is no official communication to that effect.