NewStats: 3,261,481 , 8,174,124 topics. Date: Thursday, 29 May 2025 at 11:45 AM 1y6d71

The federal government last night approved a pay rise of between 25 and 35 per cent for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures.

The announcement was made on the eve of May Day, or Labour Day, which is celebrated worldwide to recognise and honour the achievements and contributions of the working class.

The announcement came ahead of the submission of the report of the 37-member tripartite committee on national minimum wage, led by Bukar Goni Aji, a former Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HoCS), which was inaugurated in January this year.

A statement signed by the Head of Press, National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC), Emmanuel Njoku, said the increases took effect from January 1, 2024.
But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the announcement was “a waste of time.”

In an interview with Daily Trust last night, the NLC Assistant General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, said the commission does not have powers to fix national minimum wage.

“What they pretend to have done is a waste of time. It does not amount to anything for us and those in the federal civil service,” Onyeka told one of our correspondents.

He did not make further comments on the matter despite prodding by our reporter. Other senior officials of the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) could not be reached up to press time last night.

Njoku’s statement said that the augmentation applies to the six remaining consolidated salary structures, namely the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Paramilitary Salary Structure (CON), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS), and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).

It added that the federal government had also approved pension increases ranging from 20% to 28% for pensioners enrolled in the Defined Benefits Scheme within the aforementioned consolidated salary structures, with the same effective date.

Before the latest development, salary increases were implemented for tertiary education and health, among them the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Structure (CONTISS), Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS), Consolidated Tertiary Educational Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS), Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), and Consolidated Health Sector Salary Structure (CONHESS).

When ed to shed more light on the statement he issued hours to the May Day, Njoku told Daily Trust that there was no wrong time for workers to benefit from government policies.


He also confirmed that the government would pay the arrears of the backlogs from January.

Njoku added that the increment was different from the multi-stakeholders committee headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

However, some senior government functionaries and security officials, who spoke in confidence, told Daily Trust that the announcement by NSIWC was to avert an impending embarrassment.

One of them said that the government was aware of alleged plans by the organised labour to use today’s event to call out political leaders.

One of the sources said that government officials and security agencies could not locate union leaders for dialogue to prevent likely violent protests, as they were either in hiding or deliberately avoided s yesterday.

Another source said that a meeting of the organised labour with SGF Akume and leadership of security agencies ended on Friday without a tangible outcome.

Workers want living wage

Earlier Tuesday, some workers who spoke to our correspondents in some states, called on the Bola Tinubu-led federal government to approve a living wage that will make life better for workers.

The workers, who said this is necessary considering the rising cost of living in the country, added that it is now about living wage and not minimum wage.

They said it has been a tumultuous journey for them in Nigeria, considering the rising cost of living after the removal of fuel subsidy among other measures.

Many civil servants said their take home pay is not in tune with the reality because they struggle to survive and rarely meet up with the demands of their families.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 assented to the N30, 000 minimum wage bill, which ushered in a new pay structure for workers. While the policy is being implemented at the national level, many states are yet to key into the policy.

https://dailytrust.com/may-day-nlc-rejects-35-pay-rise-insists-on-living-wage/

They said they want #600,000 government went to add #15,000 the irony

So 15k is the living wage Tinubu promised the Nigerian people ?

Such a wicked and useless president

Abeg ekuke stop barking after having lost all relevance

Let's be objective here

NLC lost their relevance, they can't pull 5k crowd again

Organization that was supposed to fight for the benefits of the citizens

They were busy chasing and securing the Bag 😔😔

I have seen it all, since angel Michael can't blow the trumpet, Baba Fela should pls help us.

Let the politicians breeaaff.

Stabilized economy is the best way to go

Wages increased by 35% but bag of rice increased from 17k to 60k, Pms from 197naira to 580(NNPC lowest rate), transport fare by 200% etc

Government of deception and lies

Normal noise

Salary increase is different from minimum wage. Nigerians should learn to read and assimilate. The new minimum wage will be announced this month.

Good call... Imagine surviving on less than $50 per month, how does that make any sense?

Politicians are all aware that the minimum wage is not even enough for food on a monthly basis, talk less of paying bills and raising a family, yet they expect civil servants to accept it like that and look for other ways to survive.

Because of the inhumane salary scale that the FG uses, private companies and multinationals also pay Nigerians significantly less than they do in other countries.

Anything to keep the masses poor so as to have an effective control over them.

But y is this government quick to make people suffer and slow in increasing salary? Government of costal embezzlement

It's disheartening, insensitive and demoralising in the face of the current hardship being experienced in the country. The Nigerian worker deserves more, subsidy on fuel and electricity has been removed and you add what cannot cover for the consequences in increase in cost of transport and payment of electricity.

What of pple that are not working? They should die?

Funny eh
The truth is that, nobody depens on minimum wages again in this country.
Let them give us good economic that all.
Let out naira have value.

You better be prepared to read a denial of the said 35% increase, soon.

Onanuga is still typing..

So some people are actually expecting a minimum wage if 200k? Una never see anything

LagosFirstSon:
So 15k is the living wage Tinubu promised the Nigerian people ?

Such a wicked and useless president

He is not the president. He is an impostor

Tinubu has no capacity to lead Nigeria

150k/m and let's call it a day!

Ghen ghen pressing

Edoreborn:
What of pple that are not working? They should die?

I just tire.
Like say na everybody dey do government work

Government of lies and lies and won't survive without another lies to backups their lies. Ire oo

Tinubu will know that governing Nigeria is not like governing Lagos.

The truth is that salary increment is not the answer. And I am sure labor knows this, too. But let's be real....politicians, especially senators and legislatures, doing us shege is why labor must mount real pressure. If Bola Tinubu can propose an N15k increment for civil servants, he should be bold to tell legislatures and senators to let go of their juicy incentments. They also should start sacrificing for the nation.

If they are not ready to adjust (especially collecting millions for weekend take home), make labor scatter everywhere. But this labor leader is something else. He is for himself only. So, Nigerians will still have to bear the pain.

NLC will soon issue shutdown nation protest treat, where only 300 people's will come out.

tinubu a case of the devil taking over from the demon tormenting you. buhari tormented nigerians for 8years only for tinubu to take over and over do buhari 8years in 1 year

LagosFirstSon:
So 15k is the living wage Tinubu promised the Nigerian people ?

Such a wicked and useless president

funniest thing you will abuse His Excellency for good 8 years

That's if you didn't die by heart attack before the end of his tenure

This government is after their business which is gathering the public wealth and loot them, nothing concerns them with the plight of the common man. It is a shame