The Federal Workers Forum has dispatched a formal petition to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, requesting an urgent upward adjustment of federal civil servants’ pay and an increase in the baseline pay from N70,000 to N300,000.
The letter targeted at the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives via the Clerk of the National Assembly, and also copies President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. The document bears the signatures of FWF National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele.
Additionally, the coalition recommended a N1.5m monthly rate for Level 17 executives, maintaining that current pay scales fail to match the economic pressures hitting public employees.
Reinforcing its position, the staff stated in the communication, “We call for justice and immediate wage review now, adjust the federal minimum wage to N300,000 and a maximum wage of N1.5m for the Level 17 officers.”
The FWF stated the application was triggered by what it termed incomplete execution of the N70,000 standard authorized in 2024, alleging that public servants have not received their complete consequential adjustments and related benefits.
The body noted, “It will surprise you to hear that the Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage.”
According to the staff, the 2024 income revision raised the baseline from N30,000 to N70,000, yet produced what they described as a flat N40,000 increment across every grade within the federal public service, “Only N40,000 was added to the salaries of every federal worker across all levels.”
This fresh appeal arises amidst ongoing friction regarding the implementation of the 2024 baseline remuneration and associated allowances.
The N70,000 threshold superseded the old N30,000 floor following deliberations between authorities and organized labor, with the revised framework slated for re-evaluation after three years.
However, the FWF argues that the statutory three-year timeline must not deter leadership from responding promptly to what it terms a critical decline in staff purchasing power.
“As a matter of fact, it is suicidal for the federal workers to continue in this ugly situation. Hence, based on the current cost-of-living crisis, it can only be a matter of justice that the federal wages be immediately reviewed to meet up with the current economic realities in Nigeria.”
The workforce complained that soaring prices for food, transit, housing, power, cooking gas, and basic utilities have rendered the N70,000 baseline insufficient.
“Federal workers have been enduring the situation, and everything has been frustrating and nauseating. We cannot cope again. Federal workers are dying in instalments; we are suffering in silence; our salary is too poor; it is not taking us home,” the letter stated.
Furthermore, the FWF charged that several public servants have fallen deeply into debt with microfinance banks and digital lending applications just to cover routine expenses.
“Federal workers are now heavily indebted to microfinances and, most times, federal workers resort to phone loan apps to get transportation to work,” the group said.
The association also highlighted that certain employees have turned to burning firewood due to the prohibitive cost of cooking gas.
It asserted that this deteriorating financial situation risks compromising employee output and fostering conditions prone to corruption.
“While the Federal Government is making more money now, the federal workers are underpaid and subjected to unprecedented sufferings and hardship,” the workers said.
The entity connected its demand to the broader rise in public revenues and government spending, contending that federal personnel, whom it described as the “engine room of governance,” ought to share in increased national revenues.
It said, “The federal workers are the goose that lays the golden egg, but we are alienated from our labour.”
The draft pay structure attached to the correspondence outlines N300,000 for Grade 1 Step 1 staff, scaling progressively up to N1.5m for Grade 17 Step 1 officers.
Within the outline, Grade 2 staff would earn N330,000; Grade 3, N360,000; Grade 4, N390,000; Grade 5, N420,000; Grade 6, N450,000; and Grade 7, N480,000.
The union suggested N510,000 for Grade 8; N550,000 for Grade 9; N600,000 for Grade 10; N700,000 for Grade 12; N750,000 for Grade 13; N800,000 for Grade 14; N1m for Grade 15; N1.2m for Grade 16; and N1.5m for Grade 17 officers.
The staff explained that their N300,000 baseline recommendation relies on projected monthly living costs covering nutrition, commuting, housing, family upkeep, power, cooking gas, connectivity, water, and other services.
“Our projections here are fair, and we believe it can still be accommodated in the present budget based on the daily increased earnings and the excess crude oil sales earnings,” the forum said.
In addition to base pay adjustments, the FWF called for the disbursement of all back salaries, pending promotion arrears, and unpaid entitlements owed to civil servants.
It also insisted on the immediate payout of arrears for the 40 percent peculiar allowance, full consequential balance from the 2024 wage review, and the establishment of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance.
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Moreover, the workforce asked for a Family Support Allowance, an end to career stagnation, prompt declaration of promotional openings, comprehensive medical coverage for active workers and retirees, vehicle and housing loan programs, long-service recognition, and upgraded pension provisions.
The union also called for free schooling for children of civil servants and retirees in federal institutions, alongside tax reductions on worker allowances and general tax relief measures.
Looking past public service pay, the FWF urged the administration to establish a comprehensive social safety net for jobless and underemployed citizens, supply free healthcare for children, expectant mothers, and senior citizens, and launch federal funding programs for cancer treatment and other major medical conditions.
It also pressed for aggressive actions to curb national insecurity, including securing the freedom of abducted citizens.
The association requested a formal inquiry into allegations that portions of workers’ contributory pension funds are being drawn down by executive authorities.
“We like to bring to the notice of the National Assembly that we are hearing rumours that part of our contributory pension savings is being borrowed by the executive. We are calling for investigations and an immediate stoppage cum refund if it is true,” it stated.
Additionally, the personnel called for the reinstatement of fuel subsidies, price stabilization mechanisms for essential commodities, initiatives to bolster local manufacturing and industry, and intervention strategies to reverse the erosion of public purchasing power.
The FWF exhorted the National Assembly to champion its petition before the executive branch, emphasizing that federal staff cannot wait until July 2027 for a pay adjustment.
It said, “Federal workers have suffered enough. It has been three years of torture, torment and agony for the federal workers since the removal of fuel subsidy.”
The grouping concluded by asking lawmakers and senior officials to view its document as a priority intervention, stressing that pay increases are vital to safeguard worker welfare and ensure efficient execution of state policy.
The group stated, “It is our prayers 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.”
