The Federal Government plans to begin payment of staff salaries by the 25th of every month.
This is the latest directive given by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Ahmed Idris made this disclosure in an interview with journalists in Abuja.
Idris said that government was working on a new arrangement, which, if approved, would ensure payment of the salaries before the usual monthly meeting of the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
According to the AGF, “There is a standing instruction of Mr President to pay salary on or before 24 or 25 of every month and we will try as much as possible to comply and to abide by that.
This is going to be given a test, I believe, by this month”
“We are taking a step further to make a provision whereby we can accommodate salary payments even before FAAC.
“This is going to be given a test I believe by this month.
“We will go to seek for necessary approval of our political masters to make sure that at least salary and other statutory payments are made even before FAAC.
“Because we can project how much they are and therefore we can prepare and hit the ground running to make them realisable and actualised.
“Even where we delay FAAC, we can still pay salary”
“Nigeria is practically making about 30 to 40 per cent of what it used to make by way of revenue from oil and that has affected inflow generally.
“These inflows are what the federal, state and local governments receive to service the economy.
“It is when we receive these resources and sit at the end of the month for FAAC that the resources are shared among the three tiers of government.”
“The monies are stimulating the economy in a way that delivery of social goods, services and efficiency in government expenditure are being achieved.
“So I believe that they are already serving the purpose for which they are meant and they are within the economy.”
