“January Salaries are Coming!” FG and States Finally Share ₦1.969 Trillion After Bitter Payday Standoff

Federal and state workers can finally stop checking their banking apps in frustration. After a tense two-week standoff that threatened to leave millions of families stranded, the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has finally broken the deadlock, releasing a massive ₦1.969 trillion pot of gold for December’s revenue.

The money, which was officially shared during a “crisis meeting” in Abuja this Monday, had been sitting in the vault while state governors and federal officials argued over the math. State finance commissioners had reportedly rejected the initial figures presented by the Federal Government, claiming the numbers didn’t reflect the true amount of cash that entered the country’s pockets during the busy December period.

The star of the show this month was Value Added Tax (VAT). Even though other revenue sources wobbled, VAT receipts exploded, rising by a staggering ₦350 billion compared to the previous month. This surge likely driven by heavy December holiday spending helped push the total distributable cash to nearly ₦2 trillion.

From the shared loot, the 36 States walked away with the biggest slice of the pie, receiving ₦706.4 billion. The Federal Government followed with ₦653.5 billion, while the 774 Local Government Councils will split ₦513.2 billion.

Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, confirmed that the “green light” has been given for salaries to be processed immediately. In fact, many federal workers have already reported receiving their “credit alerts” just hours after the meeting concluded.

The resolution of this “revenue war” comes as a major relief to the economy. With the cost of collection and various savings accounts siphoning off about ₦616 billion before the final sharing, the ₦1.969 trillion left for the three tiers is expected to jumpstart public projects and provide much-needed liquidity in the market as the 2026 fiscal year begins in earnest.