Tinubu
The Federal Workers Forum has written to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, demanding an immediate review of the salaries of federal civil servants and an increase in the minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000.
The letter, dated September 2, 2026, and signed by the National Coordinator, FWF, Andrew Emelieze, and General Secretary, Ogundele Ayodele, was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation were also listed among the recipients.
The forum also proposed a salary of N1.5m for Level 17 officers, arguing that the current wage structure no longer reflects the economic realities confronting federal workers.
The FWF said the proposed wage review should raise the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and the maximum wage for Level 17 officers to N1.5m.
The forum said the demand was necessitated by what it described as the incomplete implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024, claiming that federal workers had yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances.
According to the workers, the Federal Government had not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024, adding that they had been pushing for the full consequential adjustment.
The group stated that the 2024 wage review increased the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 but resulted in what it described as a flat N40,000 increase across all levels of the federal civil service.
The latest demand comes amid continuing disagreements over the implementation of the 2024 minimum wage and related allowances.
The N70,000 minimum wage replaced the previous N30,000 benchmark after negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour, with the new wage framework subject to review after three years.
The FWF argued that the statutory three-year review period should not prevent the government from responding immediately to what it described as an emergency deterioration in workers’ purchasing power.
The forum said the current cost-of-living crisis had made it necessary for federal wages to be immediately reviewed to reflect the economic realities in Nigeria.
The workers complained that the rising cost of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas and other necessities had made the N70,000 minimum wage inadequate.
The forum said federal workers had endured the situation for years but could no longer cope with their financial challenges, adding that their salaries were insufficient to meet their basic needs.
The FWF further alleged that some federal workers had become heavily indebted to microfinance institutions and digital loan platforms in an attempt to meet their daily needs.
It said some workers resorted to phone loan applications to raise money for transportation to work.
The forum also claimed that some workers had resorted to using firewood because they could no longer afford cooking gas.
It argued that the worsening financial situation could affect workers’ productivity and create conditions conducive to corruption.
The FWF said the government’s increased earnings should also reflect in workers’ welfare, describing federal workers as the engine room of governance.
It argued that workers should benefit from improved national earnings and the value generated through their labour.
The proposed salary structure attached to the letter provides for N300,000 for Level 1 Step 1 workers, rising progressively to N1.5m for Level 17 Step 1 officers.
Under the proposal, Level 2 workers would earn N330,000; Level 3, N360,000; Level 4, N390,000; Level 5, N420,000; Level 6, N450,000; and Level 7, N480,000.
The forum proposed N510,000 for Level 8; N550,000 for Level 9; N600,000 for Level 10; N700,000 for Level 12; N750,000 for Level 13; N800,000 for Level 14; N1m for Level 15; N1.2m for Level 16 and N1.5m for Level 17 officers.
The workers said their N300,000 minimum wage proposal was based on an estimated monthly expenditure covering feeding, transportation, accommodation, family support, electricity, cooking gas, phone and data, water and other utilities.
The FWF said it believed the proposed wages could still be accommodated in the present budget based on increased daily earnings and excess crude oil sales earnings.
Among its other demands, the FWF called for payment of all outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other entitlements owed federal workers.
It also demanded the immediate implementation and payment of arrears of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, full consequential adjustment of the 2024 minimum wage and the introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance.
The workers further sought a Family Support Allowance, an end to stagnation in the civil service, declaration of vacancies for promotions, comprehensive health insurance for federal workers and pensioners, car and housing loan schemes, long-service awards and improved pension arrangements.
The forum also called for free education for the children of federal workers and pensioners in federal institutions, reduced taxation of workers’ allowances and tax relief measures.
Beyond workers’ wages, the FWF appealed to the government to introduce a comprehensive social security programme for unemployed and underemployed Nigerians, provide free medical care for children, pregnant women and elderly citizens, and establish federal intervention programmes for the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
It also called for stronger measures to tackle insecurity, including the release of kidnapped Nigerians.
The forum demanded an investigation into reports that part of workers’ contributory pension savings was being borrowed by the executive.
The FWF said it had received reports that part of the contributory pension savings was being borrowed by the executive and called for an investigation and immediate refund if the claim was found to be true.
The workers also called for the return of petrol subsidy, price-control measures for essential goods and services, efforts to strengthen local production and industrialisation, and measures to address the declining purchasing power of Nigerians.
The FWF urged the National Assembly to take up its demands with the President, stressing that federal workers could not afford to wait until July 2027 before their salaries were reviewed.
The forum said federal workers had suffered for three years following the removal of the fuel subsidy and urged the government to address their concerns as a matter of urgency.
The group appealed to the lawmakers and other government officials to treat its letter as an emergency intervention, saying improved wages were necessary to protect workers’ welfare and enhance their ability to effectively implement government policies.
The FWF urged the National Assembly, as representatives of the people, to take up its demands responsibly and work towards addressing the concerns of federal workers.
NAN
