Civil servants under the Federal Workers Forum have appealed to the Federal Government to pay outstanding arrears, including wage awards and promotion allowances.

In a letter addressed to President Bola Tinubu, and copied to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, the forum urged urgent action to address long-standing issues affecting federal workers.

The group noted that the challenges had worsened, particularly since the removal of fuel subsidy.

The letter, signed by Mr Andrew Emelieze, National Coordinator, Mr Itoro Obong, National Secretary, and Mr Razaq Oseni, Publicity Secretary, emphasised the growing frustration among workers.

They noted that ten months had passed since the implementation of the new national minimum wage, but full compliance remained a problem.

“We call on you to ensure full implementation of the minimum wage by June 30, 2025, and immediate payment of ten months’ arrears dating back to August 2024,” the letter stated.

They also demanded payment of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance in June salaries, along with ten months’ arrears, and the introduction of a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) by June.

The group condemned the selective payment of wage awards and urged the government to ensure all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) received the first tranche and any pending arrears.

They also demanded the payment of promotion arrears owed over the years, particularly to judicial workers and staff of tertiary institutions and the federal health sector.

Other demands include the reinstatement of leave bonuses, payment of 13th-month incentives, hazard allowances, and a long service award.

Additionally, the forum warned against borrowing from the contributory pension fund, stressing it was not intended for government loans.

The letter expressed hope for prompt government action, emphasizing that timely intervention would prevent the need for federal workers to escalate their demands through physical demonstrations.(NAN)

 The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will ensure that residents of Guzape and Kpaduma communities affected by road construction in the area are duly compensated without delay.

The Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, made the pledge during a meeting with the traditional rulers and representatives of Kpaduma and Guzape communities in Abuja on Monday, over the road project.

He explained that the meeting was to address concerns over the delay in relocation of affected villagers living on the road corridor.

The minister expressed concerns over the continued presence of the residents on the road corridor marked for construction to ease traffic and boost connectivity within the FCT.

He assured the traditional leaders and community members of the government’s commitment to ensure justice and fairness to everyone affected.

He promised that every affected individual would be duly compensated, adding that a Right of Occupancy for new resettlement areas would be provided without delay.

Wike directed the Director of Resettlement to evaluate what it would cost to resettle the affected residents.

He pointed out that the compensation rate was too meagre and asked the director to increase it by 100 per cent.

“Increase their rate. If they are supposed to get N50, give them N100.

“We are not here to displace anyone unjustly. This is about building a better Abuja for all.

“We will ensure your people are properly compensated and given legal documents for their new homes,” he said.

He, however, clarified that compensation would be paid for only structures along the road corridor and not the entire community.

The minister emphasised the critical importance of the road project to the overall development plan of the capital city.

He acknowledged the deep-rooted attachment the communities have to their ancestral lands and appealed for their understanding.

According to him, government’s development efforts must sometimes involve difficult decisions.

Responding, the traditional leaders, led by Sa’peyi of Garki, Alhaji Usman Nga-Kupi, commended Wike for his transparency and the willingness to engage them directly.

Nga-Kupi acknowledged the benefits the road project would bring to the area, and pledged their resolve to cooperate and support the resettlement process.

 “We are grateful for the minister’s assurance and the respect shown to our people.

“We will support this effort in the interest of peace and progress”, the traditional leader said. (NAN)

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to fully transitioning to Computer-Based Test (CBT) examinations for the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and other exam bodies by 2026.

Dr Alausa made this known while monitoring the conduct of WAEC’s CBT examinations in Abuja on Wednesday.

He expressed optimism about Nigeria’s capacity to modernise its examination system and reduce widespread malpractice through digital innovation.

Commending WAEC’s initiative, the minister described the shift from traditional pen-and-paper exams to CBT as a historic and crucial step toward fairness and educational integrity.

“We are working very hard to eliminate fraud in our exam system, and WAEC is taking the lead,” he said.

Highlighting the advantages of CBT, Alausa noted that the system simplified the exam process while significantly curbing cheating.

“We now have clear evidence that when exams are done using technology, the level of fraud is minimised to almost zero,” he stated.

He further lauded WAEC’s internal safeguards, explaining that the CBT system was operated via a secured Local Area Network (LAN), making it “literally impossible” to hack.

According to the minister, by Nov. 2025, all WAEC multiple-choice exams will be conducted using CBT.

He added that essay questions and NECO examinations would follow suit by 2026.

On infrastructure and logistics, particularly in remote areas, Alausa acknowledged the challenges but assured that scalable solutions are in progress.

“Are we going to be ready to provide every single needed infrastructure by November? Absolutely not.

“But as we move into the future, we will be ready. We have to challenge ourselves as government,” he said.

He also addressed concerns over the logistics of conducting multiple exams.

“In WAEC, the average student takes about eight to nine papers.

“They do it over several days. Those are the logistics we, as administrators, have to work through, and we already are,” he explained.

The ongoing WAEC exams, which began on April 24, are scheduled to conclude on June 20, 2025.

A total of 1,973,253 candidates from 23,554 schools are participating. Of this number, 979,228 candidates are male, accounting for 49.63 per cent, while 994,025 candidates are female, making up 50.37 per cent.(NAN)