Accountant-General blames salary shortfalls for delayed February pay

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation has attributed the delay in the payment of February 2026 salaries for staff of the Federal Ministry of Steel Development and four federal agencies to shortfalls in personnel cost allocations.

The disclosure was contained in a statement issued on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations at the office, Bawa Mokwa.

According to the statement, the delay affected 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 delay was caused by salary shortfalls recorded in the personnel cost allocations of the affected MDAs,” the statement said.

The office explained that the clarification followed concerns raised by civil servants over the non-payment of February salaries in some federal organisations.

It added that the affected ministries, departments and agencies had been advised to liaise with the Cash Management Office of the Federal Ministry of Finance to resolve the funding gaps responsible for the delay.

“The Office of the Accountant-General has communicated with the affected MDAs to engage the Cash Management Office of the Federal Ministry of Finance to resolve the issue of the salary shortfalls,” the statement noted.

The OAGF stressed that the delay was limited to the listed organisations, confirming that salaries for other federal workers had already been paid.

It also addressed complaints from civil servants whose salary accounts are domiciled with Standard Chartered Bank, stating that the workers could not access their salaries due to the bank’s policy requiring a minimum opening balance of ₦7 million.

According to the office, although the salaries had been credited to the bank, the affected workers were unable to withdraw the funds because of the account requirement.

The OAGF assured workers affected by the delays that efforts were ongoing to resolve the issues and ensure the outstanding salaries are paid promptly.

In the proposed 2026 Federal Government budget, personnel costs for ministries, departments and agencies are projected at about ₦8.36 trillion, with additional allocations for pensions and gratuities pushing total staff-related expenditure higher.