- Demands Immediate Review Of Minimum Wage
A COALITION of civil servants under the aegis of Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has launched a scathing attack on the Federal Government, accusing it of treating its employees with a “lack of faithfulness” and failing to honour financial commitments spanning nearly two years.
In a press release issued on Sunday, signed by Comrades Andrew Emelieze and Ogundele Ayo, FWF’s National Coordinator and General Secretary, respectively, the group detailed a litany of unpaid allowances while also describing the implementation of the existing national minimum wage as “offensive, suppressive, and slavish.”
FWF’s statement comes in response to the Federal Government’s latest partial payment of a long-standing wage award arrears. The government recently began paying one month of the outstanding arrears, with a promise to settle the remaining two months in instalments.
The wage award – a monthly payment of ₦35,000 – was introduced in 2024 to cushion the impact of fuel subsidy removal, pending then impending agreement on a new minimum wage.
However, the FWF expressed outrage that the payment of this award has been “staggering and inconsistent” since April 2024, with workers often having to resort to protests to receive what they are owed.
“It is very painful to note that aside from the meagre payment, our government has been very unfaithful in the payment of the wage award,” the statement read. “Most times, it took agitations and protest by the federal workers before the federal government pays the monthly stipend. Even this current payment is trickling in in batches; many more are yet to receive the payment,” FWF stated.
The forum questioned why the government cannot clear the outstanding balance in full, pointing to a pattern of broken promises from the previous year. They are now calling for a probe by the National Assembly, alleging that the delays are “a product of corruption.”
“Someone needs to take responsibility for these failed promises,” the FWF demanded, adding: “It is not enough to agree to resume the payment of the delayed wage award; there is a need also for a probe into the delayed response.”
Beyond the wage award, the FWF listed a catalogue of other outstanding payments, including the 40% peculiar allowance owed since July 2024, promotion arrears, Duty Tour Allowances (DTA), hazard allowances, and the salaries of some newly employed staff across various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“It is really very unfair and equally very wicked to continue to owe poorly paid workers,” the statement added. “Our government should have a rethink and show some respect to the federal workers, who are truly the engine room of governance.”
The forum also directed sharp criticism at the new national minimum wage of ₦70,000, arguing that it has failed to make a meaningful impact amidst the cost-of-living crisis.
It noted that the effective increase for many workers has been only around ₦40,000, an amount it deemed woefully inadequate for survival. The group pointed out that some state governments are already paying above the federal benchmark, arguing that the federal government should do the same.
“This current minimum wage is too poor and equally disgraceful; there is no way a worker can survive with the paltry salary except we want to deceive ourselves,” the FWF stated, describing the new wage as “a disaster and a poverty wage.”
FWF called for the immediate review and termination of the existing minimum wage, insisting that the government, with its increased revenues, can afford to pay more.
“This current new national minimum wage will not encourage expected productivity; it will rather encourage corruption and frustration of the federal workers,” the release warned.
The FWF therefore issued a series of immediate demands to the government, including the immediate payment of all outstanding arrears; the introduction of a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for all federal workers; the resumption of leave bonus payments; the harmonisation of salaries across all sectors of the federal workforce; and, a reversal of the recent hike in petroleum product prices and a return to fuel subsidies.
In a broader appeal, the forum also called on the federal government and the international community to push for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
Noting that “Humanity does not deserve war anymore,” the statement asserted: “End all wars everywhere and the denuclearization of the world. The world deserves peace; the world’s wealth should be channeled into solving the existential challenges of humanity and not for arms production.”
