The Federal Workers Forum has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the salaries of civil servants and increase the national minimum wage from N70,000 to N300,000, citing the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power of workers.

The demand was contained in a letter dated September 2, 2026, addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly, with copies also sent to the Chief Justice of Nigeria and the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The forum, led by its National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, and General Secretary, Ogundele Ayodele, argued that the current wage structure no longer reflects the economic realities facing federal workers across the country.

As part of its proposed salary adjustment, the group called for a minimum wage of N300,000 and a maximum salary of N1.5m for Level 17 officers.

The workers also raised concerns over what they described as incomplete implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the Federal Government in 2024.

According to the forum, although the 2024 wage review raised the national minimum wage from N30,000 to N70,000, federal workers had not received what it considered full consequential adjustments and related allowances.

The group claimed that workers across the various levels of the federal civil service effectively received a flat N40,000 increase, which it said had failed to adequately address the financial pressure on employees.

The forum said the situation had become more difficult as the prices of essential goods and services continued to rise. It specifically cited the cost of food, transportation, accommodation, electricity, cooking gas, communication and other household necessities as major pressures on workers.

It therefore urged the Federal Government to consider an immediate wage review rather than wait for the next statutory review period, arguing that the current economic situation requires urgent intervention.

The workers maintained that their proposal was based on the need to restore the purchasing power and welfare of federal employees amid the continuing cost-of-living crisis.

The N70,000 minimum wage replaced the previous N30,000 benchmark following negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour. The new wage framework was designed to undergo review after three years.

However, the Federal Workers Forum argued that the review period should not prevent the government from responding to worsening economic conditions and the difficulties being experienced by workers.

The latest demand adds to the continuing debate over wages, workers’ welfare and the ability of Nigerians to cope with rising living expenses.

The Federal Workers Forum is now calling for urgent action from the Federal Government and the National Assembly to reconsider the existing wage structure and implement what it described as a more realistic remuneration package for federal civil servants.