Subsidy: Tinubu increases civil servants salary by N35,000

In a move aimed at mitigating the effects of the recent removal of fuel subsidies, President Bola Tinubu has granted approval for a N35,000 wage award for civil servants in Nigeria. The announcement was made in a memo issued by Ekpo U. O. Nta, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission. This wage increase is set to take effect from September 1, 2023.

The memo, dated October 19, 2023, was addressed to various government officials, including 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, and several others.

In the memo, it is 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 decision comes in the wake of a nationwide strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and other organized labor unions in response to the removal of fuel subsidies. The strike was temporarily suspended after President Tinubu’s administration offered N5 billion for palliatives to be distributed among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The N35,000 wage award is expected to provide relief to civil servants facing increased living costs as a result of the fuel subsidy removal. President Tinubu continues to address the challenges posed by this policy change and remains committed to implementing measures that support the welfare of Nigerian citizens