In a bid to alleviate the economic challenges faced by Nigerian civil servants following the removal of fuel subsidies, President Bola Tinubu has granted approval for an N35,000 wage increase.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission, Ekpo U. O. Nta, officially disclosed this development in a memorandum issued on October 19, 2023.
The memo, addressed to several high-ranking government officials, announced that all Federal Civil Servants would be beneficiaries of the wage award, which is set to take effect from September 1, 2023.
The comprehensive list of recipients includes the Chief of Staff to the President, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ministers and Ministers of State, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Chairmen of Federal Commissions, Federal Permanent Secretaries, Clerk of the National Assembly, Secretary of the National Judicial Council, and the Secretary of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
Additionally, the memorandum was circulated to the Directors-General and Chief Executives of Parastatals, Agencies, and Government-Owned Companies, Auditor-General of the Federation, Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation.
The memo stated, “I refer to the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) on Monday, 2 October 2023, as a result of the dispute arising from the withdrawal of the subsidy on the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) and hereby convey the approval of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the grant of a wage award of N35,000:00 (thirty-five thousand Naira) only per month to all Federal Government workers with effect from 1 September 2023, pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have been signed into law.”
This wage award comes as a response to the recent industrial action staged by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other organized labor unions. The strike, prompted by the severe hardships faced by the populace due to the removal of fuel subsidies, was temporarily suspended for one month following the commitment of the Tinubu-led administration to allocate N5 billion for the provision of palliatives to all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The decision to increase the wages of Federal Civil Servants underscores the government’s commitment to mitigating the economic impact of fuel subsidy removal and fostering better conditions for the nation’s workforce. It is anticipated that this move will be well-received by civil servants across the country, helping to alleviate their financial burden during this period of economic transition.
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