The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has announced that deductions are currently being made from the salaries of federal workers who received excess payments in December 2024 due to a system error.

In a statement released on Friday by the OAGF’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Bawa Mokwa, the government explained that the deductions are necessary to recover the overpayments, which resulted from a payroll system malfunction.

The OAGF also clarified concerns about alleged salary shortfalls in January and February 2025, stating that workers’ earnings had returned to normal levels after the exhaustion of various arrears paid in the last quarter of 2024.

“There were no shortfalls in salaries paid to federal workers in January and February 2025,” the statement read. “The amounts received during this period reflected normal salaries after the exhaustion of various arrears paid in the last quarter of 2024.”

Federal workers had benefited from payments covering arrears for the national minimum wage, the 25% and 35% salary increases, and wage awards between October and December 2024. These additional payments temporarily boosted salaries, leading to misunderstandings when January and February 2025 salaries reverted to their actual amounts.

“Payment of normal salaries after exhausting the various arrears began in January 2025, which made some workers think they were shortchanged when, in actual sense, it was their real salaries. A glance at the current salary table will substantiate this further,” the OAGF added.

Barring any future salary adjustments, the statement emphasized that salaries paid in January and February 2025 would remain unchanged until reviewed by the Federal Government.

On the issue of December 2024 overpayments, the OAGF confirmed that the system error responsible for the miscalculations had been corrected, and deductions were ongoing to recover the excess funds.

“There were cases of overpayments in December 2024 due to a system error. That error has been corrected, and deductions from the salaries of affected workers are ongoing and will continue until full recovery,” the statement noted.

Regarding outstanding promotion arrears, the OAGF explained that payments are handled by a Standing Committee on Promotion and Salary Arrears within the Budget Office of the Federation. The committee compiles and verifies salary and promotion arrears from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies before forwarding them to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) for payment.

The statement further disclosed that batches 1 to 6 of promotion arrears payments have been fully processed, while additional payments are awaiting approval from the Budget Office.

The office of the President of the Senate has refuted claims circulating in some online media platforms that the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was a consequence of her alleged petition against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Special Assistant on Media to the Senate President, Jackson Udom, described the reports as “disinformation” and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. He clarified that the decision to suspend the Kogi Central lawmaker was based on her conduct within the Senate, not any petition against the leadership.

“The truth of the matter is that she was disciplined by her colleagues because of her unruly behavior and flagrant disobedience to the laws of the Senate,” Udom stated.

He urged Nigerians to disregard the “slanted” reports being pushed by what he described as “highly compromised online media outfits engaging in yellow journalism.”

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension has sparked reactions across political and media circles, with supporters alleging political victimization while others within the Senate insist that due process was followed.

As of the time of filing this report, the suspended senator has yet to officially respond to the latest clarification from the Senate President’s media office.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the final forfeiture of $1.4 million linked to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, ruling that the sum was proceeds of unlawful activities.

Justice Olayinka Faji, in his judgment on Thursday, upheld the arguments of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and directed that the funds be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The EFCC, represented by its counsel, Bilkisu Bahari-Bala, informed the court that the sum of $1,426,175.14 was traced to the account of Donatone Limited at Titan Trust Bank (Account No. 2000000500). The anti-graft agency argued that investigations revealed the funds were linked to fraudulent financial transactions.

Investigation Uncovers Fraudulent Concealment

An affidavit deposed by EFCC investigator David Jayeoba detailed how intelligence reports led to the discovery of concealed funds in Donatone Limited’s account. The investigation allegedly uncovered a financial scheme involving Emefiele and his associates, including Donatone Limited’s directors, Uzeobo Anthony and Adebanjo Olurotimi.

According to Jayeoba, both men were instrumental in hiding and disguising the proceeds of illicit activities linked to Emefiele. The EFCC claimed that:

Anthony and Olurotimi acted as proxies for Emefiele, helping to retain and launder funds suspected to be proceeds of financial crimes.

The company, Donatone Limited, was allegedly used to collect bribes and gratification on behalf of the former CBN governor in exchange for foreign exchange (forex) approvals.

Court Grants Permanent Forfeiture

Justice Faji had earlier granted an interim forfeiture order on May 30, 2024, before delivering his final ruling on Thursday. The court’s decision now cements the Federal Government’s ownership of the confiscated funds.