In a powerful display of growing discontent, the Federal Workers Forum (FWF) has declared a nationwide protest beginning Monday, May 26, 2025, over the Bola Tinubu administration’s failure to fulfill its wage award promises and settle outstanding arrears.
In a statement issued Saturday, the forum lambasted the federal government for what it described as “institutional neglect, betrayal, and systemic repression” of federal workers, warning that patience has reached its breaking point.
The release — jointly signed by Comrade Andrew Emelieze (National Coordinator), Comrade Itoro Obong (National Secretary), and Comrade Razaq Yakubu Oseni (Publicity Secretary) — condemned the government’s failure to disburse five months of the N35,000 wage award, initially introduced as a palliative to cushion the devastating economic effects of fuel subsidy removal in March 2024.
The group also berated the Accountant General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance for making repeated yet unfulfilled promises to pay the wage arrears.
“Our government is not treating federal government workers well,” the statement reads. “We are deeply disappointed in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His regime is becoming increasingly repressive and suppressive. Is it now a crime to be a federal worker? Why are we subjected to this level of hardship and humiliation?”
The forum painted a grim picture of the conditions federal employees face daily, stressing that despite hollow assurances from the authorities, nothing has been done to alleviate their suffering.
“Imagine — five months of a promised N35,000 wage award have now turned into a battlefield of empty promises and failed deadlines. The Accountant General vowed to settle the arrears immediately after April salaries. The Minister of Finance assured payment within 48 hours. Yet here we are — betrayed, abandoned, and unheard. This is no longer negligence; it is a calculated act of indifference.”
Demands on the Table
With growing frustration spilling into the streets, the FWF outlined a series of demands to the Tinubu administration:
Immediate payment of all five months of the outstanding N35,000 wage award.
Full implementation of the new national minimum wage with the June 2025 salary.
Settlement of the 40% peculiar allowance backlog owed since August 2024.
Activation of the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) starting from June.
Payment of all outstanding entitlements, including promotion arrears, hazard allowances, DTA, and two years’ salary owed to elongation officers in the Federal Ministry of Education.
The FWF declared that starting Monday, May 26, all federal workers in Abuja are to report not to their respective offices, but to the Federal Ministry of Finance as the new protest ground.
“This is no longer about dialogue; this is about action. If by Wednesday, May 28, 2025, these demands are not met, we shall expand our protests to all federal secretariats nationwide, and we will sustain it indefinitely until every naira owed is paid,” the statement warned.
The group also issued a stern caution to those who may seek to undermine the protest: “Any federal worker who attempts to sabotage this struggle will be held accountable. No individual or body is authorized to speak on behalf of federal workers without due consultation. This is a unified struggle.”
“We are compelled to take this action because every other avenue has failed us. We hope — and pray — the government listens before this spirals beyond control. We can no longer tolerate this betrayal. We are citizens, not slaves.”
The FWF concluded by urging all federal workers in Abuja to mobilize and converge at the Ministry of Finance on Monday without fail: “Let this message reach every federal worker. History will remember where you stood.”
PIONEER NEWS 