Federal workers are asking the government to tear up the current pay structure and start again.
The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has written to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, demanding an immediate review of federal civil servants’ salaries and a major increase in the minimum wage.
Its headline demand is N300,000 as the federal minimum wage, up from the current N70,000.
The forum is also calling for N1.5 million as the minimum salary for Level 17 officers, arguing that the existing pay structure no longer reflects the economic pressures facing government workers.
Who received the letter?
The FWF’s letter, dated September 2, 2026, was signed by National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and General Secretary Ogundele Ayodele.
It was addressed to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives through the Clerk of the National Assembly.
Other recipients included:
- President Bola Tinubu
- The Chief Justice of Nigeria
- The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation
The forum framed the request as a call for what it considers an urgent correction to federal workers’ pay.
FWF says the N70,000 wage has not been fully implemented
At the centre of the complaint is the implementation of the 2024 national minimum wage.
The FWF claims that, although the minimum wage was raised from N30,000 to N70,000, federal workers have not received the full consequential adjustments and related allowances they believe should have followed.
The forum says it has been pressing the government over the issue since the new wage took effect.
It also disputes how the increase was reflected across the federal civil service, claiming that N40,000 was effectively added to salaries across all levels, rather than producing adjustments that properly reflected differences between grades.
Those claims form the basis of its latest demand for a comprehensive salary review.
What exactly does the forum want?
The FWF is seeking two major changes:
- A N300,000 minimum wage
- A minimum N1.5 million salary for Level 17 officers
The organisation argues that simply maintaining the existing structure is no longer sufficient given the economic realities confronting federal employees.
Its position comes as disagreements continue over the implementation of the 2024 wage agreement and associated allowances.
The wider wage dispute
Nigeria’s current N70,000 minimum wage replaced the previous N30,000 benchmark following negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour.
The new wage framework was introduced in 2024 and is due for review after three years.
That timetable means the debate over the next stage of wage policy is already becoming increasingly important.
For the FWF, however, waiting for the scheduled review is not enough.
Its message to the government is immediate: review federal salaries now, raise the minimum wage to N300,000 and overhaul a pay structure the forum says no longer matches the cost of living.