Atiku blasts Tinubu over unpaid wage awards to civil servants

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has taken a swipe at President Bola Tinubu’s administration for failing to fully disburse promised wage awards to federal civil servants.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Atiku accused the federal government of reneging on its commitment to alleviate the impact of fuel subsidy removal with a ₦35,000 monthly payment to workers, describing the move as emblematic of a pattern of unfulfilled promises.

“That promise, like many others under this government, has become a broken covenant,” he said.

Atiku highlighted the delay in implementing a new minimum wage, noting it took the government 10 months to decide on a figure, during which wage award arrears accumulated.

“By implication, the Federal Government owes 10 months of wage award arrears to federal workers. Yet, only six months have been paid and that too after a series of unfulfilled assurances and avoidable delays,” he said.

He added that the outstanding balance — amounting to ₦140,000 per worker — is a crucial financial support that remains unpaid, despite the rising cost of living.

“When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu hastily and thoughtlessly removed fuel subsidy on the day of his inauguration, he triggered an economic avalanche that has since buried the average Nigerian under the weight of inflation, hunger, and despair,” Atiku stated.

The former vice president also criticised what he called the administration’s increasing authoritarian tendencies. He referenced the detention of labour activist Andrew Uche Emelieze, who was arrested while attempting to lead a peaceful demonstration over the unpaid wage awards.

“His only ‘crime’ was speaking up for workers abandoned by the state. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Comrade Emelieze. His continued detention is an affront to democracy, a slap in the face of every Nigerian worker, and a chilling reminder of the authoritarian drift of the Tinubu administration,” he said.

While commending certain state governments for responding more responsibly to labour concerns, Atiku accused the federal authorities of demonstrating “callous indifference and utter disdain for workers’ welfare.”

He concluded by warning that silencing dissent would not make the economic crisis disappear.

“The economic hardship is real, the hunger is biting, and the government has a duty to act, not repress,” he said.