By Jane Okafor, Abuja
The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has intensified pressure on the Federal Government to immediately review workers’ salaries, insisting that recent comments by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, amounted to an admission that federal workers are grossly underpaid.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Forum’s National Coordinator, Comrade Andrew Emelieze, and General Secretary, Comrade Ayo Ogundele, the group said the government’s acknowledgment of workers’ poor welfare had vindicated its long-standing campaign against the ₦70,000 minimum wage.
According to the Forum, the government’s recognition of workers’ plight should be followed by immediate action rather than “mere political statements.”
“Our outcry has been justified. The federal government has openly agreed with our position that federal workers are poorly paid, exploited, and dehumanized,” the statement read.
The group described the current minimum wage as inadequate, arguing that it had consistently warned that the ₦70,000 wage was incapable of meeting workers’ basic needs.
The Forum also criticised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), accusing both labour centres of failing to mount sufficient pressure on the government to secure a living wage for workers.
It further alleged that several outstanding entitlements owed to federal workers remain unpaid, including the balance of the wage award introduced in June 2024, the 40 per cent peculiar allowance, promotion arrears and other benefits.
According to the group, the Federal Government has yet to fully implement the new minimum wage across the federal public service, despite discussions about another wage review.
The workers’ body demanded an immediate upward review of salaries, proposing a minimum wage of ₦300,000 and a maximum salary of ₦1.5 million for Directors on Grade Level 17.
It also called for the salary review to be backdated by at least one year, with implementation beginning from workers’ July salaries as compensation for what it described as prolonged injustice.
The Forum maintained that clearing outstanding salary-related debts owed to federal workers should form part of any genuine effort by the government to improve workers’ welfare.
Despite the recent remarks by the Chief of Staff, the group said it would proceed with its planned nationwide protest against hardship and insecurity on Monday, June 29.
It urged federal workers across the country to wear black attire and assemble peacefully in front of federal secretariats nationwide, insisting that the protest would go ahead as scheduled.
“Workers are tired of false hope; we are not slaves. We are citizens. We demand justice,” the Forum declared.
