The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has submitted a formal petition to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, calling for an urgent review of federal civil service salaries and demanding an increase in the national minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000.
The letter, dated September 2, 2026, was signed by FWF National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele. Addressed through the Clerk of the National Assembly to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, copies were also sent to President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. The group proposed a restructured salary scale capping at N1.5 million for Level 17 officers, stating that current pay no longer reflects prevailing economic conditions.
“We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers,” the workers stated in the letter.
The FWF attributed its action to the incomplete implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024, alleging that workers never received full consequential adjustments or expected allowances.
“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, noting that “Only N40,000 was added to the salaries of every federal worker across all levels.”
While the 2024 agreement between organized labor and the government established a three-year review cycle, the FWF argued that severe inflation requires an immediate intervention rather than waiting until 2027.
“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 urged.
Detailing the daily pressures on workers due to the rising costs of food, housing, energy, and transportation, the letter added: “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 forum highlighted that financial distress has forced many employees into extreme measures: “Federal workers are now heavily indebted to microfinances and, most times, federal workers resort to phone loan apps to get transportation to work.” The petition noted that some staff have even resorted to using firewood because cooking gas has become unaffordable.
The FWF warned that low compensation undermines workplace productivity and increases corruption risks. Emphasizing that higher government revenues should translate to better compensation, the workers wrote: “While the Federal Government is making more money now, the federal workers are underpaid and subjected to unprecedented sufferings and hardship. The federal workers are the goose that lays the golden egg, but we are alienated from our labour.”
Under the proposed structure, Level 1 Step 1 salaries would start at N300,000, progressing through Level 2 (N330,000), Level 3 (N360,000), Level 4 (N390,000), Level 5 (N420,000), Level 6 (N450,000), Level 7 (N480,000), Level 8 (N510,000), Level 9 (N550,000), Level 10 (N600,000), Level 12 (N700,000), Level 13 (N750,000), Level 14 (N800,000), Level 15 (N1 million), Level 16 (N1.2 million), and Level 17 (N1.5 million).
The forum stated that these numbers reflect baseline monthly expenses for utilities, food, transit, and family upkeep: “Our projections here are fair, and we believe it can still be accommodated in the present budget based on the daily increased earnings and the excess crude oil sales earnings.”
Beyond the base pay raise, the FWF demanded:
- Settlement of all outstanding salary, promotion, and allowance arrears.
- Immediate implementation of the 40 percent peculiar allowance arrears.
- Introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance and Family Support Allowance.
- Promotion vacancy declarations, housing and auto loan schemes, comprehensive health insurance for staff and retirees, and long-service awards.
- Free tuition for children of federal workers and pensioners in federal institutions, alongside tax reliefs.
The group also raised security concerns, called for petrol subsidy reinstatement, requested price controls on basic goods, and asked lawmakers to investigate pension funds: “We like to bring to the notice of the National Assembly that we are hearing rumours that part of our contributory pension savings is being borrowed by the executive. We are calling for investigations and an immediate stoppage cum refund if it is true.”
Concluding the petition, the workers urged prompt legislative action: “Federal workers have suffered enough. It has been three years of torture, torment and agony for the federal workers since the removal of fuel subsidy. It is our prayers that the National Assembly, being the representative of the people, take up our plea with the utmost responsibility and act accordingly to ensure a just society.”
