The Federal Government has approved a ₦70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, to cushion the impact of rising transportation costs and the wider cost-of-living crisis.
The approval was one of the resolutions reached at a conciliation meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
According to a report published by The PUNCH on October 27, the agreement was documented in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by government representatives and the NLC leadership.
The MoU stated that the ₦70,000 transport intervention would commence in November and continue for six months. However, it did not specify the payment date within each month or explain the administrative arrangements for disbursing the funds.
The intervention comes amid persistent increases in transportation expenses and the prices of essential goods following the removal of the petrol subsidy in May 2023.
The government also agreed to pay outstanding peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026, in three equal monthly instalments beginning in November.
Under the agreement, outstanding allowances owed to health workers are to be cleared within three months, starting in December 2026.
The resolutions form part of broader efforts to address workers’ welfare concerns and outstanding agreements between the government and organised labour.
The MoU was signed by the Director-General of Budget, Timi Yakubu; the NLC President, Joe Ajaero; the Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Garba Abdul S.U.; and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
On the national minimum wage, both parties agreed to constitute a Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee immediately and commence meetings without delay.
However, the government and labour representatives failed to agree on the effective date for implementing a new national minimum wage. The agreement did not specify when negotiations would be concluded or when a revised wage would take effect.
The current national minimum wage of ₦70,000 was introduced in 2024 after negotiations between the Federal Government and organised labour, replacing the previous ₦30,000 minimum wage.
The latest meeting followed an earlier conciliation session on October 22, 2026, which ended without an agreement on key workers’ demands.
The NLC and the Trade Union Congress had pressed the government for concrete measures to address rising petrol prices, declining purchasing power, outstanding allowances and the commencement of negotiations for a new minimum wage.
The latest agreement provides for some immediate financial interventions, although the timing of a new minimum wage remains unresolved.
The agreement also called for state and local governments to participate in the intervention process and implement the agreed measures within their respective jurisdictions.
The implementation of the transport support and other financial commitments will be important in determining how much relief workers receive as they continue to contend with rising living expenses.
