KEY POINTS
- Unexplained salary reductions hit federal workers.
- Wage awards and promotion arrears remain unpaid.
- Missing allowances deepen civil service unrest.
Labour sources say the situation has created a volatile mood in several MDAs, warning that unresolved grievances could lead to industrial action.
Employees in key ministries, including Information; Labour and Employment; Agriculture; and Education as well as agencies such as the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria and the Nigerian Television Authority, report steady declines in monthly take home pay without formal explanation.
Workers cite unexplained pay cuts and say management has not issued pay slips since September 2025, preventing them from tracking deductions or confirming salary changes.
Unexplained Salary Reductions Raise Tensions
Affected civil servants describe the development as unprecedented, noting that some state governments now pay higher wages than the Federal Government, a reversal that officials say has not occurred in Nigeria’s minimum wage history.
Workers also say they haven’t been paid for three months of wage award arrears, which were put in place to help people who were having trouble making ends meet. They say the delay has made things worse financially because the cost of living is going up.
Late promotions make things even harder. Reports indicate that authorities paid some arrears in 2024 to officers promoted in 2023. However, officers promoted in 2024 and 2025 have not received any back pay. Some senior officials say they still earn the same salaries as their subordinates despite their promotions.
Allowances and Arrears Outstanding
Further grievances stem from the non-payment of the 20 percent weighing-in allowance since August 2024 and the suspension of the 40 percent Peculiar Allowance approved for federal workers. The latter was last paid in July 2024, with arrears still unsettled.
Union sources said that morale is low in federal offices because of unexplained pay cuts and missing allowances, which are two of the main reasons people don’t trust the government.
Workers are demanding the immediate release of outstanding pay slips, clarity on deductions and settlement of all arrears. Attempts to get formal answers, including from the Head of Service, failed since calls and texts remained unanswered.
