The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has petitioned President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, demanding an urgent upward revision of civil service pay to cushion the impact of a severe cost-of-living crisis.
In a letter dated 2 September 2026, signed by National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele, the group called for the national minimum wage to be raised from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000, alongside a ₦1.5 million monthly salary ceiling for Level 17 officers. The correspondence was addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas via the Clerk of the National Assembly, with copies sent to President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The union warned that soaring inflation across essential commodities—including food, transport, housing, electricity, and cooking gas—has plunged civil servants into extreme financial distress. The FWF reported that workers are increasingly resorting to microfinance lenders, digital loan applications, and using firewood due to unaffordable gas prices. Describing the workforce as the engine room of governance, the union argued that employees remain severely underpaid despite surging government revenues and excess crude oil sales.
Under the union’s submitted wage structure, baseline salaries would start at ₦300,000 for Level 1 Step 1 staff, rising incrementally through middle tiers — such as ₦510,000 for Level 8 and ₦1 million for Level 15 — up to ₦1.5 million for senior management at Level 17. The forum maintained that these projections reflect realistic family living costs and can easily be accommodated within current budget revenues.
Crucially, the FWF highlighted incomplete implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage enacted in July 2024, alleging that workers received only a flat ₦40,000 increment without the expected consequential adjustments or associated allowances. Although statutory guidelines mandate a three-year review cycle, the forum insisted the government cannot wait until July 2027 to address what it termed a financial emergency.
“As a matter of fact, it is suicidal for the federal workers to continue in this ugly situation,” the letter stated, adding that “federal workers are dying in instalments” and that “it has been three years of torture, torment and agony for the federal workers since the removal of fuel subsidy.”
Beyond basic pay, the union demanded the immediate settlement of all outstanding salaries, promotion arrears, and full consequential adjustments from 2024, as well as the payment of arrears for the 40 per cent peculiar allowance alongside new permanent Cost of Living and Family Support Allowances. To further safeguard employee welfare, the group called for sweeping structural workplace reforms, including car and housing loan schemes, comprehensive health insurance for both active workers and retirees, tax relief on allowances, and tuition-free education for civil servants’ children in federal institutions.
Additionally, the forum urged prompt operational improvements to address workplace stagnation, specifically pressing the government to clear promotion backlogs and introduce long-service awards. The petition further urged Parliament to probe reports regarding the executive branch. “We are hearing rumours that part of our contributory pension savings is being borrowed by the executive,” the group noted, calling for an immediate investigation, a halt to the practice, and full reimbursement if verified.
The FWF called for the reinstatement of the petrol subsidy, state price controls on essential items, local industrialisation initiatives, and a comprehensive social security net covering unemployed citizens, pregnant women, children, and the elderly. The union also urged decisive action against widespread insecurity and the release of kidnapped citizens.
The group urged lawmakers to intervene immediately with the presidency, expressing hope 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.”