Dismissing the state governors’ proposed benchmark as a “Greek gift,” civil servants under the FWF mandate organized labor to initiate an immediate, indefinite nationwide strike.
The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has formally rejected a proposed N100,000 national minimum wage benchmark, characterizing the offer as completely inadequate and incapable of insulating civil servants from the severe economic hardship sweeping the country.
The position of the public servants was made public on Monday, June 1, 2026, via an official communique released in Abuja.
The document summarized the resolutions of an intensive stakeholders’ review session and an extensive intra-organizational opinion poll conducted over the weekend to deliberate on escalating living costs and widespread national insecurity.
The communique – jointly signed by the FWF National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze; National Secretary, Mr. Ayo Ogundele; and National Mobilisation Officer, Mr. Aminu Yerima – stated that federal civil servants are currently facing severe survival challenges. The forum noted that despite various welfare promises from administration officials, public workers are still heavily burdened by diminished purchasing power, long-standing promotion arrears, and unpaid duty tour allowances.
The forum strongly criticized the implementation of the baseline N70,000 national minimum wage, arguing that it has failed to protect families from soaring headline inflation. The group alleged that the structural application of the pay adjustment translated to a flat N40,000 increase across various grade levels, which was then immediately eroded by aggressive tax and statutory deductions.
Additionally, the labor leaders expressed deep concern over the non-implementation of the promised 40% peculiar allowance and the accumulation of unpaid wage awards.
Commenting on the N100,000 wage counter-offer reportedly being considered by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), the FWF did not mince words:
“To us, this is the height of hypocrisy. These same governors, most of whom said they could not afford the N70,000 minimum wage, are now proposing N100,000. The N100,000 proposal is not a living wage. Workers have continued to face severe economic hardship arising from inflation, high living costs, fuel subsidy removal, and the declining value of the naira. We condemn and reject this proposal in all its forms and entirety,” the forum stated.
Beyond financial concerns, the workers’ body expressed deep alarm over worsening national security, noting that ordinary citizens and public employees are increasingly exposed to violent crimes, kidnappings, and attacks on schools.
Given these interconnected crises, the FWF officially mandated the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to immediately pull workers off their posts for an indefinite nationwide strike. Backing a series of nationwide mass protests, the forum issued a strict 30-day ultimatum to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to rein in violent crime and introduce an emergency Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to provide immediate financial relief to the public workforce.
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