The Federal Workers Forum has called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to urgently review the salaries of federal civil servants and increase the national minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000.
The demand was contained in a letter dated September 2, 2026, signed by the National Coordinator of the forum, Andrew Emelieze, and the General Secretary, Ogundele Ayodele.
The letter was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly, with the President, Chief Justice of Nigeria and Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed among the recipients.
The forum also proposed a maximum salary of N1.5 million for Level 17 officers, arguing that the existing wage structure no longer reflects the economic realities facing federal workers.
The workers said, “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.”
According to the forum, the N70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024 has not been fully implemented, particularly with regard to the consequential adjustment and related allowances.
The group said, “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 workers said the 2024 wage review raised the minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000 but alleged that the adjustment effectively translated to a flat N40,000 increase for federal workers across the various levels.
“Only N40,000 was added to the salaries of every federal worker across all levels,” the forum stated.
The Federal Workers Forum argued that the statutory three-year review period for the minimum wage should not prevent the government from taking immediate action in response to the sharp decline in workers’ purchasing power.
It described the current situation as unsustainable, citing rising costs of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas and other essential goods and services.
The forum said, “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 N70,000 minimum wage replaced the previous N30,000 benchmark following negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour in 2024.
The workers maintained that worsening economic pressures had rendered the current wage structure inadequate and urged the government and lawmakers to urgently address their demands.
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