Civil servants under the Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has said they would shift their offices to the Presidential villa, if all outstanding wage awards, promotion and allowance arrears were not paid within the next 30 days.
The aggrieved workers made this known in a letter dated June 3, 2025, addressed to President Bola Tinubu and copied the Senate President, the Speaker House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation and International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Minister of Finance, the Head of Service of the Federation, the Accountant-General of the Federation, the AuditorGeneral of the Federation, National Salaries and Wages Commission and other critical players, including security organisations.
The letter signed by the National Coordinator, FWF, Comrade Andrew Emelieze; the National Secretary, Comrade Itoro Obong, and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Razaq Oseni, said it was “ridiculous” for the Federal Government to still be owing poorly paid workers who could barely survive with their take-home pay as a result of the harsh and anti-people policies of the government, which has only succeeded in further impoverishing workers and poor Nigerians. The letter partly read: “Not to fully implement the new national minimum wage ten months after its commencement should be a shame and also an embarrassment to the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“We, therefore, call on you to ensure the full implementation of the new national minimum wage latest 30th June, 2025 and the payment of ten months arrears of the minimum wage differentials since August 2024. Federal workers will not wait any further.
“Full payments of 40 per cent peculiar allowance in the June salary and also ten months’ arrears balance since August 2024; institution and payment of Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), latest June salary.
“End the selective payment of outstanding five months wage award and pay all MDA’s and workers yet to collect the first tranche of the payment, pay up all outstanding arrears of promotion arrears owed the federal workers over the years. Particular emphasis is on the federal judicial workers and other institutions yet to collect any wage award.
“Pay up all that the Federal Government owes the federal tertiary institutions (FTI) and the federal health sector workers, work towards a fair, just and living wage for the federal workers and pay hazard allowance where necessary. “Return the leave bonus payment, pay 13th month incentives and institute long service award to the federal workers, reconsider the heavy tax regime on the federal workers’ salary.”
The federal workers also asked President Tinubu not to touch or borrow from the contributory pension, as they insist it was not meant for loans by the Federal Government. “We need explanations why N10 trillion loan was borrowed from our contributory pension fund without the knowledge of the workers and the pensioners.
“Your Excellency Sir, we pray you listen to us else in 30 days’ time, all federal workers nationwide might have to resume work in your office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja. Please, stop owing us; this is injustice, pay up all you owe the Federal Government workers, we are not begging, it our entitlements, we are citizens, we are workers; stop treating us like slaves,” the letter noted.
