Federal workers under the aegis of the Federal Workers Forum (FWF) have called on the Federal Government to urgently review the salaries of civil servants, proposing that the minimum monthly pay for the lowest grade should rise to N300,000 and the salary of Grade Level 17 officers should reach N1.5 million.
The demand was contained in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly. The letter was signed by the forum’s National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, and General Secretary, Ogundele Ayodele, and was also addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The FWF said the proposed salary review had become necessary because the existing wage structure no longer reflected the economic realities confronting federal employees. It cited increases in the prices of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas and other basic necessities as factors putting severe pressure on workers and their families.
The group specifically called for the minimum pay at Level 1 Step 1 to be increased to N300,000 per month, while proposing N1.5 million for officers at Level 17 Step 1. The proposed structure is intended to provide progressive increases across the federal civil service rather than a uniform salary for all employees.
Under the proposal, Level 2 workers would earn N330,000, Level 3 N360,000, Level 4 N390,000 and Level 5 N420,000. Level 6 would receive N450,000, while Level 7 would earn N480,000.
The proposed salary rises to N510,000 for Level 8 and N550,000 for Level 9, while Level 10 officers would receive N600,000. The forum proposed N700,000 for Level 12, N750,000 for Level 13 and N800,000 for Level 14. Level 15 would receive N1 million, Level 16 N1.2 million and Level 17 N1.5 million.
The FWF argued that the demand should not be delayed simply because the existing minimum-wage framework provides for a review after three years. The forum said the economic circumstances facing workers require an urgent response rather than waiting for the next scheduled review.
Nigeria’s current national minimum wage was raised from N30,000 to N70,000 in 2024 following negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment had said the implementation of the new wage would be backdated to April 1, 2024.
The workers, however, claimed that the implementation of the 2024 wage increase had not fully translated into the consequential adjustments and related allowances they expected across the federal civil service. According to the forum, the increase had effectively resulted in an additional N40,000 being added to salaries across the different levels, a claim that represents the workers’ position rather than an independently established government figure.
The forum said the situation had become increasingly difficult for federal employees, with some workers allegedly turning to microfinance institutions and digital lending platforms to meet basic expenses, including transportation to work. It also claimed that some workers had resorted to using firewood because they could no longer afford cooking gas. These claims were made by the FWF in its letter and were not independently verified in the reports reviewed.
Beyond the proposed N300,000 minimum, the workers are demanding payment of outstanding salaries, promotion arrears and other financial entitlements. They also want the Federal Government to implement outstanding consequential adjustments linked to the 2024 minimum wage and pay arrears of what they described as the 40 per cent peculiar allowance.
The FWF further requested the introduction of a permanent Cost of Living Allowance and a Family Support Allowance. Other welfare proposals include comprehensive health insurance for serving workers and pensioners, improved housing and car loan schemes, measures to address stagnation in the civil service and the declaration of vacancies to facilitate promotions.
The workers also called for improved pension arrangements, free education for the children of federal workers and pensioners in federal institutions, and tax relief on certain workers’ allowances.
Their demands extend beyond salaries. The FWF appealed for a broader social security programme for unemployed and underemployed Nigerians, free medical care for vulnerable groups, intervention programmes for serious illnesses and stronger measures to address insecurity.
On the economy, the forum called for policies to strengthen local production and industrialisation, measures to protect Nigerians from rising prices and a review of what it described as declining purchasing power. It also demanded an investigation into claims that workers’ contributory pension savings were being borrowed by the executive, while stressing that any such borrowing should be stopped and refunded if confirmed.
The forum argued that better remuneration is important not only for workers’ welfare but also for the effectiveness of government administration. It said federal employees are responsible for implementing government policies and programmes and should therefore receive compensation that allows them to perform their duties under sustainable conditions.
The group also linked its demand to the Federal Government’s revenue position, arguing that workers should benefit more directly from improved government earnings. However, the FWF’s assertion that government revenues can accommodate its proposed salary structure remains its position and would require assessment against current government revenue, expenditure and fiscal commitments.
The demand now places the issue of federal workers’ pay before both the executive and legislative arms of government. The National Assembly is being asked to take up the matter with the President, while the FWF wants the government to treat the proposal as an urgent response to the cost-of-living pressures facing employees.
For federal workers, the distinction between the statutory minimum wage and the broader salary structure is important. The N300,000 figure proposed by the FWF is a demand, not a new wage approved by the Federal Government. Any change to the statutory minimum wage would require the appropriate legal and institutional process rather than taking effect simply because the workers have made the proposal.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has previously described minimum-wage policy as an issue requiring engagement among government, workers and employers, reflecting the tripartite nature of wage negotiations.
The FWF is nevertheless insisting that waiting until the next scheduled review would leave workers exposed to continuing financial pressure. It urged lawmakers and government officials to consider the proposal urgently and address outstanding wage-related obligations alongside any broader salary review.
Whether the Federal Government accepts the N300,000 proposal will depend on negotiations, fiscal capacity, the applicable wage framework and the broader economic implications of such an increase. For now, the figure represents the Federal Workers Forum’s demand as it seeks a major restructuring of pay and welfare provisions for federal civil servants.
The latest development therefore adds another dimension to Nigeria’s continuing debate over wages, purchasing power and the cost of living. While the N70,000 minimum wage remains the existing benchmark introduced in 2024, the FWF is asking the government to go considerably further and adopt a new structure beginning at N300,000 for the lowest level of the federal civil service.
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