FG okays 40% peculiar allowance for civil servants after strike threat

*NAAT to FG: Your 30% salary increase offer provocative

THE federal government has officially approved the long-awaited 40 per cent peculiar allowance for federal civil servants, following intense pressure and threats of industrial action by organised labour.

This came as the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, yesterday rejected the 30 per cent salary increment offer, describing it as provocative.

The approval of the peculiar allowance for federal civil servants, Vanguard gathered, came after a marathon meeting on Tuesday personally presided over by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Walson-Jack, in Abuja.

A peculiar allowance is a special extra payment approved for federal civil servants to address unique job-related conditions or economic challenges not fully covered by their basic salary.

It is called “peculiar” because it is meant to cater for the specific or peculiar nature of public service work and welfare needs.

For federal civil servants, the allowance may be approved by the Federal Government through bodies such as the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation or Federal Executive Council

It is usually paid as a percentage of basic salary. It is different from regular allowances like housing, transport or medical allowances.

At the meeting, the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, NSIWC, it was learned, formally released the circular for the implementation of the allowance, bringing to an end nearly two years of agitation by workers over the delayed adjustment linked to the new N70,000 minimum wage structure.

Speaking during the meeting, Mrs Walson-Jack stressed the importance of strengthening communication and trust between government management teams and labour unions to avoid unnecessary industrial disputes.

She noted that while labour unions had the constitutional right to make demands, government agencies must also create room for dialogue and constructive engagement in order to sustain industrial harmony.

The meeting also provided an opportunity for the leadership of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, (Trade Union side) led by its National Chairman, Benjamin Uyanto, and the Executive Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Mr Eyo Nta, to present their positions before the Head of Service intervened to broker an agreement acceptable to all parties.

Both Uyanto and Nta commended the Head of Service for her timely intervention, describing it as crucial in resolving the lingering dispute.

Following the deliberations, an implementable circular table for the 40 per cent peculiar allowance was officially presented to the leadership of the JNPSNC.

Confirming the development in an interview, the National Secretary of the JNPSNC (Trade Union side), Olowoyo Gbenga, described the outcome as a major victory for Nigerian workers and a positive step toward improving workers’ welfare, amid current economic hardship.

According to him, implementation of the allowance will take effect from May 1, 2026, after workers had waited since July 2024 for the adjustment to reflect the new minimum wage template.

He also urged state governments to adopt the circular to enable workers at the state and local government levels benefit from the relief package.

Olowoyo also revealed that the JNPSNC had earlier fixed May 21 for a nationwide industrial showdown over the matter, accusing the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission of initially shirking in its responsibility.

NAAT to FG: Your 30% salary increase offer, provocative

Meanwhile, the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT, has rejected the 30 per cent salary increment offer, describing it as provocative.

It also accused the federal government of promoting a culture of divide and rule in academic systems that were largely symbiotic in their operations. 

In a communique issued at the end of its 62nd National Executive Council, NEC, meeting and signed by the President,  Ibeji Nwokoma, NAAT said the offer failed to address economic realities, including soaring costs of premium motor spirit, PMS, cooking gas, and electricity.

According to the communique, the unilateral offer of 30 per cent salary increase offer without the agreement from the union undermined renegotiation process, violate collective bargaining principles, and foster wage disparities.

Recall that this is coming a few days after a sister union, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, SSANU, also rejected a similar offer, though government in an effort to discourage strikes, approved a 40 per cent salary increase for the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, a development that is brewing crisis among unions within the university system. 

NAAT accused government of abandoning renegotiation since 2017, only to come up with a circular indicating a 30 per cent increase without the necessary negotiation procedures.

It read: “But rising from the 62nd NEC meeting, NEC-in-Session rejected the committee’s paltry offer from March 31, 2026, at the National Universities Commission. This offer fails to address economic realities, including soaring costs of premium motor spirit, PMS, cooking gas and electricity.

“Of greater concern are letters dated March 30, 2026, including one from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service to the Salaries, Income, and Wages Commission, approving a 30% allowance increase for non-teaching staff. 

‘’Issued without NAAT’s concluded agreement, these actions undermine the renegotiation process, violate collective bargaining principles, and foster wage disparities.

“NAAT rejects this award and will resist it through all legal means, thwarting any divide-and-rule strategy."

“NAAT urges well-meaning Nigerians, clergy, civil society, the Nigeria Labour Congress, students, and parents to press the FGN to reconvene promptly and conclude renegotiations honorably. Absent this, the government bears responsibility for impending academic disruptions and loss of institutional peace”.

Culled from Vanguard