Tinubu Approves N35,000 Provisional Wage Increase for FG Workers President Bola Tinubu has granted approval for a provisional wage increase of N35,000 for all federal government employees paid from the treasury. This increment will be effective for a period of six months.
The announcement was made by Malam Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, in a statement released on Sunday in Abuja.
The decision to implement this wage increase followed extensive consultations between the federal government and labor union leaders at the Presidential Villa.
During the meeting, the Federal Government also reaffirmed its commitment to expediting the provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to alleviate the challenges in public transportation resulting from the removal of petroleum subsidy.
Furthermore, the government pledged to allocate funds to support micro and small-scale enterprises and to grant exemptions from Value Added Tax (VAT) on diesel for the next six months.
Additionally, it was announced that 15 million households would receive payments totaling N75,000, at a rate of N25,000 per month, for a three-month period from October to December.
Key highlights from the meeting’s decisions include:
- The Federal Government urged labor unions to refrain from embarking on strike actions, emphasizing that the issues under dispute can be effectively addressed while workers remain on the job.
- Labor unions advocated for a higher wage increase.
- A sub-committee will be established to formulate detailed implementation plans for all aspects of government interventions aimed at mitigating the impact of fuel subsidy removal.
- The ongoing matter involving the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State will receive immediate attention.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) will carefully consider the offers made by the Federal Government with the intention of potentially suspending the planned strike, allowing for further discussions on the implementation of the agreed resolutions.
Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara, who serves as the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun participated in the meeting virtually. The meeting was chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Other attendees included the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong; the Minister of State, Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu; the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Doris Uzoka-Anite; the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan; and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu.
Representatives from labor unions included NLC President Joe Ajaero, Deputy President of TUC Dr. Tommy Okon, NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja, and TUC General Secretary Nuhu Toro.