FG vows to settle 20-year-old public service arrears by December
Reported by Sele Media Africa| Ihuoma Amarachi
The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to clearing decades-old public service arrears, pledging to settle all outstanding entitlements from the 2004–2007 public service reforms by December 2026.Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Arabi, made the assurance during an inter-agency verification exercise in Gombe State, where officials are working to identify and verify beneficiaries who were “rightsized” during the reforms but have not yet received full payment of their entitlements. According to Arabi, while many affected officers did not receive payments for years after the reforms, significant progress has been made in recent times. He noted that nearly all verified beneficiaries have now been paid, and the government hopes to clear the remaining cases before the end of the year.
“We are proud to inform Nigerians that we have virtually cleared 99.9 per cent of everybody that needs to be paid,” Arabi said, highlighting the collaborative effort involving the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, and anti-corruption agencies. He expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support, describing the progress as a direct result of presidential backing. The Gombe exercise is focused on former staff of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) — described by the BPSR boss as one of the last major groups still awaiting final settlement after years of delay.
Arabi acknowledged the challenge of tracing some beneficiaries and next-of-kin due to the long time lapse but noted that the government had embarked on nationwide publicity and inter-agency collaboration to reach eligible individuals. One beneficiary, Yagana Kalama, who was disengaged from service in 2005, expressed appreciation for the initiative, saying it brings closure after two decades of waiting. The Federal Government’s commitment echoes broader efforts to address legacy arrears across sectors, aligning with past measures aimed at reducing wage and pension backlogs for public workers.
Citations:
1. Punch Newspaper – https://punchng.com/fg-vows-to-settle-20-year-old-public-service-arrears-by-december/
2. THISDAYLIVE – https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/01/26/fg-to-pay-severance-benefits-to-disengaged-nepc-staff/
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