Dozens of federal workers staged a protest on Wednesday at the Federal Secretariat in Ikolaba, Ibadan, Oyo State, over poor welfare conditions.
The protest was organised by the Federal Workers Forum following a 21-day ultimatum issued to the government.
National Coordinator Andrew Emelieze and Secretary General Itoro Obong said the protest was necessitated by the government’s failure to pay five months of wage award arrears, implement the 40% peculiar allowance, and review excessive taxation.
Protesters held placards with inscriptions such as “Pay us five months wage awards,” “70k minimum wage is a failure,” and “Federal workers live on loans.”
Emelieze accused the federal government of long-standing neglect and said workers could no longer endure the hardship.
He called for an indefinite national protest, saying, “The 70,000 minimum wage is unacceptable—it’s a slave wage. We demand an upward review and immediate payment of outstanding arrears.”
He urged the federal government to prioritise workers’ welfare and called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene.
The protest will continue daily from morning till noon until the government addresses their demands.
