FG orders immediate payment of February salary over election postponement

The Nigerian government Wednesday ordered the immediate payment of February salaries to the civil servants so as to encourage them to participate in the rescheduled Saturday presidential and senatorial election.

“On the part of the Federal Government we decided that to make it easy for those who will want to go back to vote, salary payment started on Tuesday as opposed to the normal 25th of every month,” minister of information, Lai Mohammed, told journalist after Federal Executive meeting on Wednesday.

“This is just to ease the burden of people who want to go back and cast their vote.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)postponement of the general elections by a week, less than five hours to the start of the polls last Saturday.

The Commission’s chairman Mahmood Yakubu said the postponement was necessary due to some logistics and operational problems.

After the election was postponed many Nigerians expressed displeasure on the development by lamenting the inconvenience the commission’s decision cost them.

The minister, however, said the payment of salaries to the civil servants is meant to ease the burden on those who will want to travel again for the Presidential and senatorial elections on Saturday.