The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has formally petitioned President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to demand an immediate upward review of federal civil servants' salaries, proposing a new national minimum wage of ₦300,000 to replace the current ₦70,000 benchmark. In a letter dated September 2, 2026, signed by National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele, the group outlined a revamped pay scale across all grade levels, scaling from ₦300,000 for Level 1 (Step 1) workers up to ₦1,500,000 for top-tier Level 17 officers.
The forum argued that an immediate review is critical because the 2024 wage agreement which raised the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000 was never fully implemented, resulting in a flat ₦40,000 adjustment across all levels without proper consequential adjustments or associated allowances. Facing an ongoing cost-of-living crisis driven by soaring prices for food, housing, electricity, gas, and transportation, the workers emphasized that waiting for the statutory three-year review period in July 2027 is no longer feasible. Many civil servants have been pushed into severe financial strain, relying on high-interest digital loan apps, microfinance debt, and alternative cooking fuels like firewood just to manage daily life.
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Beyond an updated wage structure, the petition requests the immediate settlement of outstanding promotion arrears, unpaid salaries, and the 40% peculiar allowance, alongside the creation of permanent Cost of Living and Family Support Allowances. To further ease economic pressure on workers, the FWF called for comprehensive health insurance, car and housing loan schemes, tax relief, and free education for the children of federal workers and pensioners in federal institutions. The group also urged the National Assembly to launch a legislative probe into allegations that executive authorities borrowed from contributory pension savings, while calling for broader national interventions including the reinstatement of petrol subsidies, price controls on essential goods, and improved security measures to ensure public welfare and preserve civil service productivity.
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