New Minimum Wage: Nigerian Workers Demand N300,000 Pay, Details Emerge

• The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) wrote to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly (NASS) demanding an urgent salary review
• The FWF argued that the N70,000 minimum wage approved in 2024 was never fully implemented, with workers receiving only a flat N40,000 increase
• The forum proposed a salary structure ranging from N300,000 at entry level to N1.5m for the highest-ranked federal civil servants

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

FCT, Abuja - A civil servants' group, the Federal Workers Forum (FWF), has formally written to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly demanding that the federal minimum wage be raised from N70,000 to N300,000, with a maximum salary of N1.5 million for Level 17 officers.

As reported on Thursday, September 3, by The Punch, the 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, with President Tinubu, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation listed as additional recipients.

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Minimum wage: Federal workers demand adjustment

The forum argued that the N70,000 minimum wage passed in 2024 had not been properly carried out, saying workers received only a blanket N40,000 addition regardless of grade level.

"The Federal Government has not fully implemented the new national minimum wage since July 2024. We have been in the battle for full consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage," the group said in the letter.

The FWF insisted that the statutory three-year review cycle should not stop the government from acting urgently, describing the current situation as an emergency.

"It is suicidal for the federal workers to continue in this ugly situation," the letter read. "Federal workers are dying in instalments; we are suffering in silence; our salary is too poor; it is not taking us home."

The group also claimed some workers had borrowed from microfinance banks and mobile loan applications just to cover transport to work, while others had resorted to cooking with firewood because they could no longer afford gas.

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Federal workers demand major salary increase

The forum attached a full pay scale to the letter. Under the proposal, a Level 1 Step 1 worker would earn N300,000, rising by N30,000 per level up to Level 7 at N480,000. Higher levels would earn N510,000 at Level 8, N550,000 at Level 9, N600,000 at Level 10, N700,000 at Level 12, N750,000 at Level 13, N800,000 at Level 14, N1 million at Level 15, N1.2 million at Level 16, and N1.5 million at Level 17.

Beyond wages, the FWF demanded payment of all outstanding salaries and promotion arrears, implementation of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance, a permanent Cost of Living Allowance, family support payments, comprehensive health insurance, and housing and car loan schemes for federal workers.

The forum also called for free education for children of federal workers in federal institutions, reduced taxation on allowances, and a broader social security programme for unemployed Nigerians.

On pensions, the group asked the National Assembly to investigate claims that part of workers' contributory pension savings was being borrowed by the executive, demanding an immediate stop and full refund if confirmed.

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• Minimum wage: Actual amount Tinubu allocates for workers' salary in 2025 budget disclosed

TUC pushes periodic minimum wage hikes

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Festus Osifo, president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), said that organised labour is pushing for an annual increase in the national minimum wage paid to workers in Nigeria.

The TUC boss stated that members of the organisation, as well as their colleagues in the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have begun talks on the issue.

Source: Legit.ng