The Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has called on the Federal Government to urgently address outstanding workers’ benefits, introduce a ₦300,000 national minimum wage and improve conditions in correctional centres across the country.
In a statement issued in Abuja, the forum’s National Coordinator, Andrew Emelieze, urged the government to pay the outstanding two-month wage award owed to federal workers since June 2024, settle arrears of the 40 percent peculiar allowance and complete payments linked to the implementation of the ₦70,000 national minimum wage.
He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to review workers’ salaries, arguing that the current wage structure no longer reflects the country’s rising cost of living. According to him, the forum is proposing a new minimum wage of ₦300,000 and a maximum salary of ₦1.5 million for officers on Grade Level 17.
Emelieze further raised concerns about the welfare of correctional officers, alleging that many are compelled to purchase official uniforms, boots, belts, rank insignia and other work materials with their own money. He also called for an independent investigation into claims that officers contribute funds during promotion examinations, alleging that similar practices exist within the Federal Fire Service.
The forum also expressed concern over conditions in Nigeria’s correctional centres, describing them as overcrowded and plagued by poor feeding, disease outbreaks and the prolonged detention of awaiting-trial inmates.
According to the FWF, the situation poses health risks to inmates, correctional personnel and nearby communities, while undermining the goal of rehabilitation.
The group urged the government to decongest correctional facilities by granting amnesty and exercising the prerogative of mercy for inmates who have spent more than five years in custody without trial. It also called for faster judicial processes to ensure that awaiting-trial inmates are not detained for more than one year before their cases are concluded.
