Nigeria: Workers Demand N300,000 Minimum Wage

What the report says

The Federal Workers Forum has appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Nigeria’s National Assembly for an immediate review of federal civil servants’ pay, asking that the national minimum wage be raised from N70,000 to N300,000. According to Leadership, which published the report from Abuja, the forum sent its letter on 2 September 2026 and signed it through its national coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, and general secretary, Ogundele Ayodele. The recipients also included the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The workers said the current wage structure no longer matches living costs and argued that the 2024 minimum wage review has not been fully implemented. They claimed federal workers have not received the full consequential adjustment and related allowances, and said the shortfall has been worsened by inflation in food, transport, housing, utilities and other essentials. In addition to the proposed N300,000 floor, the forum called for a maximum salary of N1.5 million for Level 17 officers.

Beyond pay, the group asked for payment of arrears, promotion-related debts, a permanent cost-of-living allowance, health insurance, loan schemes, better pensions and other welfare measures. It also urged wider social support policies for unemployed and underemployed Nigerians. The appeal comes amid continuing disputes over how the 2024 wage deal should be applied and how quickly public-sector pay should be adjusted as economic pressures rise.