The Federal Government has agreed to pay workers a special monthly transport allowance of ₦70,000 for six months, beginning in November 2026, to cushion the effects of prevailing economic challenges.
The agreement was reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on Tuesday in Abuja, convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to address workers’ welfare concerns.
The resolution was signed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Dingyadi; the Director-General of Budget, Mr Tanimu Yakubu; and the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul.
The NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero, and the National Secretary of the Joint National Public Service Negotiation Council (JNPSNC), Mr Olowoye Gbenga, signed on behalf of the labour unions.
According to the resolution, the ₦70,000 monthly transport intervention will cover workers across all levels for six months, commencing in November 2026.
The meeting also agreed that payment of outstanding peculiar allowance arrears would begin in November, with the arrears to be settled in three equal monthly instalments. The allowance was approved by the Federal Government with effect from May 1, 2026.
The parties further agreed that 19 months of outstanding allowances owed to health workers would be paid within three months, beginning in December 2026.
On the national minimum wage, the government and labour representatives agreed that a Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meetings immediately. However, both parties disagreed on the effective date for implementing the minimum wage.
The meeting also resolved that the issue of tax relief for workers would be referred to the National Executive Council, noting that taxation is a statutory matter.
On agricultural workers’ hazard allowances, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security had submitted the list of beneficiaries and cost implications to the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) for verification. The process is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which an implementation template will be issued.
Similarly, the NSIWC is expected to complete an updated cost assessment of the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) within three weeks to enable the Presidential Committee on Salaries to consider the proposed adjustment.
The resolution urged state and local governments to participate in the intervention process and called on labour unions to pursue the implementation of the agreed measures.
Both parties agreed to reconvene after one month to assess the level of implementation of the resolutions.
