The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to urgently review the salaries of federal civil servants and raise the national minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000.
The demand was contained in a letter dated September 2, 2026, signed by FWF National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele and addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
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President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation were also listed among the recipients.
The forum proposed a new salary structure that would place the highest federal civil service salary at ₦1.5 million for Level 17 Step 1 officers.
“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 workers stated.
The FWF said the request was driven by what it described as incomplete implementation of the ₦70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024.
According to the forum, federal workers have continued to push for the full consequential adjustment and associated allowances arising from the wage review.
“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,” the group said.
The 2024 wage agreement raised the minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000. The FWF, however, argued that the adjustment had effectively translated into a flat ₦40,000 increase across the federal civil service.
“Only N40,000 was added to the salaries of every federal worker across all levels,” the forum claimed.
The proposed structure would begin with ₦300,000 for Level 1 Step 1 workers and rise progressively through the grades, reaching ₦1.5 million for Level 17 Step 1 officers.
Under the proposal, Level 2 workers would receive ₦330,000, while Level 3 would earn ₦360,000. Level 4 and Level 5 would receive ₦390,000 and ₦420,000 respectively.
The proposed salary rises to ₦450,000 for Level 6, ₦480,000 for Level 7, ₦510,000 for Level 8 and ₦550,000 for Level 9.
The forum proposed ₦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 and ₦1.2 million for Level 16 officers.
The workers said the ₦300,000 proposal was based on their assessment of monthly expenses covering food, transport, accommodation, family support, electricity, cooking gas, communication, water and other essential needs.
“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 FWF said.
The forum argued that the statutory three-year review period for the minimum wage should not prevent the government from responding to what it considers an immediate cost-of-living emergency.
“As a matter of fact, it is suicidal for the federal workers to continue in this ugly situation,” the group stated, arguing that wages should reflect current economic realities.
The workers cited rising prices of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas and other necessities as evidence that the existing wage structure is no longer sufficient.
“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 forum said.
The FWF also claimed that some federal employees had become heavily indebted to microfinance institutions and digital lending platforms to meet basic expenses, including transportation to work.
The forum further alleged that some workers had resorted to using firewood because they could no longer afford cooking gas.
Beyond immediate financial hardship, the workers warned that prolonged economic pressure could undermine productivity and create conditions that may increase vulnerability to corruption.
The forum also linked its demand to what it described as increased government earnings, arguing that federal employees should benefit from stronger national revenues because they play a central role in implementing public policies.
“The federal workers are the goose that lays the golden egg, but we are alienated from our labour,” the group stated.
The FWF’s demands extend beyond the proposed salary increase.
The workers called for the payment of outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other entitlements, as well as immediate implementation and payment of arrears of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
They also requested full consequential adjustment of the 2024 minimum wage and the introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance.
Other proposals include a Family Support Allowance, an end to stagnation in the civil service, declaration of vacancies for overdue promotions, comprehensive health insurance for federal workers and pensioners, and car and housing loan schemes.
The forum also requested long-service awards and improved pension arrangements, alongside free education for the children of federal workers and pensioners in federal institutions.
On taxation, the workers called for reduced taxation of allowances and other measures that could provide relief to employees.
The demands also broadened into social policy. The FWF urged the government to establish a comprehensive social security programme for unemployed and underemployed Nigerians and provide free medical care for children, pregnant women and elderly citizens.
It called for federal intervention programmes to support the treatment of cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
On security, the workers urged stronger measures to protect Nigerians and secure the release of kidnapped citizens.
The forum also asked the National Assembly to investigate reports that part of workers’ contributory pension savings may have been borrowed by the executive.
“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,” the FWF stated.
The group further called for the return of petrol subsidy, price-control measures for essential goods and services, stronger local production and industrialisation, and policies aimed at restoring Nigerians’ purchasing power.
The FWF urged the National Assembly to take its demands to President Tinubu, insisting that federal workers could not afford to wait until July 2027 for another salary review.
“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 forum said.
The request now places the welfare of federal employees firmly before lawmakers as they weigh competing demands for public spending, fiscal sustainability and social protection.
The FWF concluded by urging the National Assembly and other government officials to treat its proposals as an emergency intervention, arguing that improved remuneration is essential not only for workers’ welfare but also for effective public administration.
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“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,” the forum stated.
Mariam Balogun is a contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
