ABUJA — The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has formally rejected the Federal Government’s newly approved ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance for public workers, dismissing the six-month intervention as a temporary and haphazard measure that fails to address the underlying economic hardship.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, following its National Administrative Council meeting in Abuja, TUC President Festus Osifo and Secretary-General Nuhu Toro declared that organized labor requires wage justice through a permanent salary review rather than short-term allowances.
The rejection comes less than 24 hours after federal negotiators and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the six-month transport package across federal ministries, departments, and agencies.
Explaining the congress’s stance, Osifo expressed deep skepticism over temporary relief schemes, recalling that a substantial percentage of federal workers never received the ₦35,000 wage award promised following earlier fuel subsidy adjustments.
“We sincerely think that what has been put on the table will not address the plight of workers because the temporary measures put forward in past agreements were largely unfulfilled,” Osifo stated. “When relief is infused directly as a permanent salary increment, it offers a dependable, long-term safeguard that workers can count on at the end of every month.”
The TUC leadership further accused the Federal Government of bad faith regarding unfulfilled commitments to health sector workers under the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and outstanding agreements with the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).
The union stated that while it awaits the outcome of an upcoming round of consultations with federal authorities, it remains prepared to mobilize its affiliate unions and pursue legitimate industrial measures to secure wage protection and force compliance with existing labor agreements.
