The Federal Government has approved a ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public service workers across all levels for six months, starting in November 2026, to ease the impact of rising living costs.
The agreement was reached during a conciliation meeting between the government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, following renewed discussions on workers’ welfare, the cost of living and outstanding agreements.
According to the memorandum of understanding signed after the meeting, “That transport intervention of Seventy Thousand Naira (N70,000) commencing from November 2026 would be paid across all levels for a period of six months.”
The intervention will provide temporary financial support to workers as they cope with rising transport expenses and other household costs.
The government also approved the payment of outstanding peculiar allowance arrears dating from May 1, 2026. The arrears will be paid in three equal monthly instalments, beginning in November.
However, both parties failed to agree on when the national minimum wage should take effect. They instead agreed to establish the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee immediately and begin discussions on the disputed implementation date.
The memorandum stated, “It was agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and commence meeting immediately. It should however be noted that there is a disagreement on the effective date of implementation.”
The NLC also expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of its demands. According to the memorandum, the union’s leadership “expressed concern over the Federal Government’s attitude towards the above issues.”
In response, the government reaffirmed its respect for the union’s right to demand improved working conditions for Nigerian workers. It also said it was making genuine efforts to address the issues through structured interventions.
While the transport allowance and payment of outstanding arrears represent progress in the negotiations, the disagreement over the minimum wage implementation date remains unresolved.
The planned committee discussions will therefore be important in determining when the new minimum wage arrangements will take effect.
