Says ₦70,000 Minimum Wage No Longer Enough
Federal workers have called for an urgent review of Nigeria’s minimum wage, proposing that the current ₦70,000 benchmark be increased to ₦300,000 amid growing pressure from the rising cost of living.
The demand was contained in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, with other senior government officials listed among the recipients.
The Federal Government Workers Forum also proposed a new salary structure that would see the lowest-paid federal civil servant, at Level 1 Step 1, earn ₦300,000 monthly, while the highest-paid Level 17 officer would receive ₦1.5 million.
The workers argued that the current wage structure has become increasingly difficult to sustain as the prices of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas, data and other essential household needs continue to rise.
The forum also raised concerns over what it described as the incomplete implementation of the 2024 minimum wage agreement, claiming that federal government workers had not received the full consequential adjustment and other associated allowances.
Beyond the proposed wage increase, the workers demanded the payment of outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other entitlements. They also called for the implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance and the introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance.
Other demands included family support allowances, improved healthcare coverage for workers and pensioners, housing and car loan schemes, better pension arrangements and free education for the children of workers and pensioners in federal institutions.
The forum urged the National Assembly to prevail on the President to address the demands before July 2027, when the next statutory review of the national minimum wage is expected.
According to the workers, waiting until the next review period would further worsen the financial difficulties faced by federal government civil servants.
