The Federal Government has approved a N70,000 monthly transport allowance for public servants for six months, beginning in November, to cushion the impact of rising living costs.
The approval was one of the resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja on Tuesday, following renewed pressure from organised labour over workers’ welfare, the rising cost of living and outstanding agreements.
The government also approved the payment of outstanding peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026, in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.
However, the parties failed to agree on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage, although they agreed to immediately constitute a Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee.
The resolutions were contained in a memorandum of understanding signed at the end of the meeting by the Director-General of Budget, Timi Yakubu; NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
The document, titled ‘Resolutions Reached at a Conciliation Meeting Held at Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment Between the Federal Government and the Leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress on Tuesday, 27th October, 2026’, outlined agreements on transport support, outstanding allowances, minimum wage negotiations, health workers’ remuneration, tax relief and hazard allowances for agricultural officers.
Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, the NLC Assistant Secretary-General, Chris Onyeka, described the discussions as productive but said they fell short of labour’s expectations.
“It was productive, but not as we had expected,” he said.
Onyeka said negotiations often required compromises, adding that parties could not always achieve all their objectives.
“Sometimes you win some, lose some,” he said.
He clarified that the proposed Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be tripartite, comprising representatives of the government, workers and employers.
He also confirmed that the transport allowance would be paid for six months, beginning in November.
The meeting followed an earlier conciliation session held on October 22, 2026, which the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment convened to address disagreements between the government and organised labour.
The latest resolutions provide for some financial interventions, while several workers’ demands remain subject to further negotiations, administrative verification or decisions by relevant government bodies.
