The Federal Workers Forum has asked President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to raise Nigeria’s national minimum wage from ₦70,000 to ₦300,000, citing the increasing cost of food, transportation, housing and other essential needs.
The group also proposed a revised federal salary structure that would provide up to ₦1.5 million monthly for officers on Grade Level 17.
The demands were contained in a letter dated September 2, 2026, signed by the forum’s National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, and 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. President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation were also listed among the recipients.
The workers argued that the current ₦70,000 minimum wage no longer reflected Nigeria’s economic realities or provided federal employees with sufficient income to meet their basic obligations.
According to the forum, workers are struggling with the rising cost of accommodation, food, electricity, cooking gas, transportation, water, communication and family support.
It said the three-year review period attached to the 2024 minimum-wage agreement should not prevent the government from introducing an emergency salary adjustment in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
The forum also alleged that the ₦70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024 had not been fully implemented across the federal civil service.
It claimed that only a flat ₦40,000 was added to salaries across different grade levels, without the full consequential adjustments and allowances expected under the wage review.
Under the salary structure proposed by the forum, workers on Grade Level 1 would earn ₦300,000 monthly, while those on Level 2 would receive ₦330,000.
The proposal recommends ₦360,000 for Level 3, ₦390,000 for Level 4, ₦420,000 for Level 5, ₦450,000 for Level 6 and ₦480,000 for Level 7.
Workers on Level 8 would earn ₦510,000, while the proposed monthly salaries for Levels 9 and 10 are ₦550,000 and ₦600,000 respectively.
The forum also proposed ₦700,000 for Level 12, ₦750,000 for Level 13, ₦800,000 for Level 14, ₦1 million for Level 15, ₦1.2 million for Level 16 and ₦1.5 million for Level 17 officers.
It explained that the proposed ₦300,000 minimum wage was calculated using estimated household expenditure on feeding, accommodation, transportation, electricity, cooking gas, water, data and other utilities.
The workers said low salaries had forced some federal employees to rely on microfinance institutions and digital lending platforms to meet daily expenses, including transportation to work.
The group warned that persistent financial hardship could reduce productivity in the civil service and increase workers’ vulnerability to corruption and excessive debt.
Beyond higher salaries, the forum demanded the payment of outstanding wages, promotion arrears and other entitlements owed to federal employees.
It also called for the full implementation of the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, payment of consequential adjustment arrears and the introduction of permanent cost-of-living and family-support allowances.
Other demands include comprehensive health insurance, improved pension arrangements, affordable car and housing loan programmes, long-service awards and an end to career stagnation within the civil service.
The call for housing loans is particularly significant as rising rents and property prices continue to place decent accommodation beyond the reach of many salary earners.
Even if the proposed wage increase is approved, housing experts maintain that sustainable homeownership will require access to affordable mortgages with single-digit interest rates and long repayment periods.
The Federal Workers Forum urged the National Assembly to treat its demands as an emergency, arguing that workers could not afford to wait until the scheduled minimum-wage review in 2027.
