…Accuses FG Of Partial Minimum Wage Implementation,
…Seeks Immediate Salary Review
…Proposes New Salary Structure
By Our Reporter
THE FEDERAL Workers Forum (FWF) has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the salaries of federal workers, demanding that the minimum wage be increased to ₦300,000.
The forum made the demand, amongst others, in a press release on Tuesday, September 2, 2026, signed by Comrade Andrew Emelieze, National Coordinator of FWF, and Comrade Ogundele Ayodele, the forum’s General Secretary.
The demands were addressed to the leadership of the National Assembly, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Chief Justice of the Federation and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The FWF also revealed that the ₦70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024 had not been fully implemented for federal workers because the consequential adjustments to salaries and allowances had yet to be completed.
According to the forum, the 2024 wage review effectively added a flat ₦40,000 to the salaries of federal workers across Levels 1 to 17, while the broader consequential adjustment expected to reflect the new minimum wage had remained outstanding.
The group also said the 40 per cent peculiar allowance associated with the wage adjustment had not been fully paid, alongside some promotion arrears and other outstanding payments.
The FWF argued that the purchasing power of federal workers had deteriorated significantly amid rising costs of transportation, food, accommodation, utilities and other necessities.
“Federal workers have been enduring the situation and everything have been frustrating and nauseating. We cannot cope again,” the forum said, describing the situation as an emergency that should not be allowed to continue until the next minimum wage review scheduled for July 2027.
Calls for Immediate Review
The forum said it supported organised labour’s efforts toward negotiating a living wage but insisted that an interim review for federal workers was necessary because of prevailing economic conditions.
It argued that the review should take account of basic expenses, including food, transportation, accommodation, family support and other welfare needs.
The FWF also cited what it described as significant increases in government revenue, budgetary allocations and the cost of fuel over the past three years.
It argued that federal workers, whom it described as the “engine room of governance,” had not benefited sufficiently from the changing economic environment.
The group said the current wage had become increasingly inadequate and called on the National Assembly to take legislative action to facilitate an upward review of federal workers’ salaries.
It further argued that the proposed ₦1.5 million salary for Grade Level 17 officers would not be unreasonable, particularly for directors with decades of public service experience, and called for greater harmonisation of pay across the public service.
Proposed Salary Structure
The FWF included a proposed salary structure in its release, beginning with ₦300,000 for Level 1 Step 1 and rising progressively through the grades.
Under the proposal, Level 2 Step 1 would receive ₦330,000; Level 3, ₦360,000; Level 4, ₦390,000; Level 5, ₦420,000; Level 6, ₦450,000; Level 7, ₦480,000; Level 8, ₦510,000; and Level 9, ₦550,000.
The proposed salary rises to ₦600,000 for Level 10, ₦700,000 for Level 12, ₦750,000 for Level 13, ₦800,000 for Level 14, ₦1 million for Level 15, ₦1.2 million for Level 16 and ₦1.5 million for Level 17.
The forum said its proposed ₦300,000 minimum was based on a monthly calculation covering food, transport, accommodation, family feeding and support, electricity, cooking gas, telecommunications, water and other utilities.
It maintained that the proposed structure could be accommodated within the government’s current budget if there was sufficient political will.
Other Demands
Beyond salary increases, the FWF presented a 20-point list of demands covering workers’ welfare and broader socio-economic issues.
Among its immediate demands are payment of outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other benefits; full implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance; payment of consequential adjustment arrears dating from July 2024; and the introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance tied to prevailing economic conditions.
The forum also called for a Family Support Allowance, an end to stagnation in the public service, comprehensive health insurance for federal workers and pensioners, reduced taxation of workers’ allowances, and car and housing loan schemes.
It further demanded improved pension arrangements, free education for the children of federal workers and pensioners in federal institutions, social security support for unemployed and underemployed Nigerians, and free medical care for children, pregnant women and elderly citizens in government hospitals.
On the wider cost-of-living crisis, the FWF called for the return of petrol subsidy, measures to control the rising prices of goods and services, and policies aimed at strengthening the naira.
It also urged the government to increase domestic production of basic goods and promote industrialisation as a means of creating employment and reducing pressure on household incomes.
The forum said the difficulties facing federal workers should be viewed in the context of the wider hardship affecting Nigerians, including unemployed people and pensioners.
SOS to National Assembly
The FWF urged members of the National Assembly to treat its demands as a distress call and intervene urgently.
It said federal workers were increasingly struggling to meet basic household needs and claimed that some workers had resorted to borrowing from microfinance institutions and loan applications to cover transportation costs.
The forum also raised concerns over reports that contributory pension savings were being borrowed by the executive, asking the National Assembly to investigate the allegation and ensure any funds found to have been borrowed were returned.
The FWF concluded by urging the government and lawmakers to act on what it described as the deteriorating economic circumstances of federal workers, insisting that a “just and fair wage” was necessary to protect workers’ welfare and sustain effective public service delivery.
