₦70,000 transport allowance splits NLC and TUC as state workers ask for theirs

The federal government's new ₦70,000 monthly transport allowance has opened a rift between Nigeria's two main labour centres, while workers employed by the states are asking why they are left out.

The allowance was agreed with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at a meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. Federal public servants will receive it every month for six months starting in November. The government also agreed to clear arrears of peculiar allowance, backdated to 1 May 2026, in three monthly instalments, and to set up a committee to negotiate a new minimum wage.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC), which did not sign the agreement, has rejected it as a stop-gap. It wants an immediate salary increase for all government workers and says more than 80 per cent of states never paid the 2023 wage award.

NLC President Joe Ajaero says his union negotiated the deal alone and the TUC should not oppose an agreement it was not part of. He also wants minimum wage talks to start straight away rather than waiting until 2027.

Pensioners have also complained. The Nigeria Union of Pensioners says retirees should get the allowance or equivalent support. Meanwhile, Leadership reports that the federal payment has sparked demands from state employees for their governors to match it.