The Federal Government has approved a N70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, to cushion rising living costs.
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The approval was among resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja on Tuesday. The meeting followed labour pressure over welfare, living costs and outstanding agreements.
The government also approved payment of peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026, in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.
However, both parties failed to agree on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage. They agreed that the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee would be constituted and begin meetings immediately.
The resolutions were contained in a memorandum of understanding signed by Director-General of Budget Timi Yakubu; NLC President Joe Ajaero; Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U.; and Minister of Labour and Employment Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
The document covered minimum wage negotiations, transport support, allowances, health workers’ remuneration, tax relief and hazard allowances for agricultural officers.
The meeting followed an earlier conciliation session held on October 22, convened by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to address disagreements between the government and organised labour.
On the transport intervention, the memorandum stated that the N70,000 payment would commence in November 2026 and be paid “across all levels for a period of six months”.
It did not specify when payments would be made within each month or provide administrative details on disbursement.
The agreement follows rising transport and essential goods costs after petrol subsidy removal in May 2023.
Labour has called for lower petrol prices, improved wages and outstanding welfare agreements.
The memorandum recorded the NLC leadership’s concern about the government’s handling of its demands.
In response, the government said it respected labour’s right to advocate improved working conditions and was seeking to address the demands through structured interventions.
On the national minimum wage, the parties agreed that the negotiation committee would be constituted and begin meetings immediately. However, the effective date of implementation remained unresolved.
The minimum wage became a major issue in 2024, when the Federal Government and organised labour negotiated an increase in the statutory monthly wage from N30,000 to N70,000. The new rate was subsequently enacted through the National Minimum Wage Act.
The latest memorandum refers to further discussions but does not specify the proposal under consideration or when negotiations are expected to conclude.
Some interventions are approved, while other demands remain subject to negotiations or administrative decisions.
The memorandum also lists issues discussed, but gives no further payment dates or eligibility criteria for those measures.
Who will benefit?
The memorandum says the transport intervention will be paid to public service workers across all levels. It does not list specific agencies, grades or categories of employees, nor clarify whether payment will be made directly or through existing payroll arrangements.
Workers should await official guidance from their employers on eligibility and payment procedures. The agreement does not state whether the support will continue beyond six months.
What happens next?
The government and labour are expected to begin meetings of the Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee immediately, while the transport intervention and allowance arrears are scheduled to begin in November.
How to benefit
The memorandum provides no separate application process for the transport payment. Public service workers should rely on official communication from their employers and relevant government authorities for details on eligibility and disbursement.
