Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Workers Forum has issued a direct and urgent appeal to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, demanding an immediate review of the federal civil service salary structure and an increase in the national minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000. In a letter dated September 2, 2026, the group argued that the current wage structure has become grossly inadequate amid Nigeria's worsening cost-of-living crisis, with many workers now resorting to borrowing from microfinance institutions and digital loan platforms just to survive. The forum is also demanding a maximum salary of N1.5 million for officers on Grade Level 17, while proposing a progressive salary structure that would see Level 1 Step 1 workers earn N300,000 monthly. The letter, signed by the National Coordinator of the FWF, Andrew Emelieze, and its General Secretary, Ogundele Ayodele, was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly, with President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation also listed among the recipients.
The forum's demand is rooted in what it describes as the incomplete implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024. According to the workers, federal employees have yet to receive the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances arising from the new wage regime. "It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage," the group stated. The workers alleged that although the 2024 wage review raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, federal employees across different levels effectively received only a flat N40,000 addition to their salaries. "Only N40,000 was added to the salaries of every federal worker across all levels," they alleged.
The FWF argued that the statutory three-year review period for the minimum wage should not prevent the government from taking immediate action in response to the worsening economic conditions. "As a matter of fact, it is suicidal for the federal workers to continue in this ugly situation. Hence, based on the current cost-of-living crisis, it can only be a matter of justice that the federal wages be immediately reviewed to meet up with the current economic realities in Nigeria," the forum said. The workers complained that rising prices of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas, data and other essential commodities had made the current minimum wage inadequate. "Federal workers have been enduring the situation, and everything has been frustrating and nauseating. We cannot cope again. Federal workers are dying in instalments; we are suffering in silence; our salary is too poor; it is not taking us home," the letter stated.
Beyond the immediate wage increase, the forum is demanding the payment of outstanding salaries and promotion arrears, the immediate implementation and payment of arrears of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, and the introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance and family support allowances. The workers are also calling for improved pensions, comprehensive health insurance, car and housing loan schemes, and free education for workers' and pensioners' children in federal institutions. The forum further argued that the worsening financial situation could affect workers' productivity and create conditions conducive to corruption. "While the Federal Government is making more money now, the federal workers are underpaid and subjected to unprecedented sufferings and hardship," the workers said.
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. However, the FWF has argued that waiting until the next scheduled review would further expose workers to economic hardship. The proposed salary structure under the FWF's plan would see Level 1 Step 1 workers earn N300,000, with salaries increasing progressively across the grades. The proposed structure includes N330,000 for Level 2, N360,000 for Level 3, N390,000 for Level 4, N420,000 for Level 5, N450,000 for Level 6, N480,000 for Level 7, 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, N1 million for Level 15, N1.2 million for Level 16, and N1.5 million for Level 17 officers. The forum has urged the National Assembly to press the President to act before July 2027, when the statutory three-year review of the minimum wage would ordinarily fall due, arguing that workers cannot wait that long under current economic conditions.
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