BREAKING: ₦70,000 Transport Allowance: TUC Rejects Six-Month Relief, Makes Fresh Demands

• The Trade Union Congress has rejected the Federal Government’s ₦70,000 transport allowance, demanding a permanent salary increase to address workers’ financial hardship.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has rejected the Federal Government’s proposed ₦70,000 transport allowance, insisting that workers need a lasting salary increase instead of payments limited to six months.

The congress announced its position on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, in a statement signed by its president, Festus Osifo, and secretary-general, Nuhu Toro.

The intervention was announced following an October 27 conciliation meeting between government representatives and the Nigeria Labour Congress in Abuja. Payments are expected to begin in November.

Why TUC rejected the allowance

The central issue for the congress is the temporary nature of the proposed support.

Speaking during a television interview on Wednesday, Osifo explained that the union wanted an intervention that would improve workers’ earnings on a continuing basis.

He indicated that the congress would have been willing to consider the proposal if the additional money were incorporated into salaries.

That distinction places the duration and structure of the intervention at the centre of the disagreement: the government’s proposal provides relief for a defined period, while TUC wants a continuing adjustment to workers’ pay.

Salary increases should not wait, Osifo says

Osifo also argued that reviewing workers’ salaries should not depend on concluding another national minimum wage negotiation.

According to him, salary increases and minimum wage negotiations are separate processes, giving the government room to improve earnings without waiting for a new nationwide agreement.

The TUC president said the congress had already made its position clear following its National Administrative Council meeting on October 8.

₦300,000 cited as an example

In its statement, the congress cited ₦300,000 as an example of a possible salary level for the lowest-paid federal worker, with corresponding adjustments for other grades.

The figure was an illustration of the increase the government could consider. It was not an announcement of an approved salary or a new national minimum wage.

Health workers’ agreement also on the agenda

Beyond salaries, TUC called on the government to implement outstanding agreements with the Joint Health Sector Unions.

The congress maintained that workers’ welfare required both improved earnings and compliance with commitments already made to organised labour.

Its position brings two demands into the discussions: a permanent improvement in pay and implementation of existing obligations to health workers.