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‘We’ve suffered enough’ — Federal workers protest poor welfare in Oyo

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4 weeks ago

Some Federal workers on Wednesday staged a protest at the frontage of the Federal Secretariat, Ikolaba Ibadan, in Oyo state as directed by the Federal Workers Forum, over poor welfare.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that National Coordinator of the forum, Andrew Emelieze, and Secretary General, Itoro Obong, said the strike followed a 21-day ultimatum issued to the government.

The workers are demanding the immediate payment of the five-month wage award arrears, the implementation of the 40 percent peculiar allowance, and the payment of its arrears.

However, dozens of federal workers were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Pay us five months wage awards,70k minimum wage is a failure’; Federal Workers have suffered enough’; ‘FG workers live on loans’, among others.

Addressing newsmen, Emelieze, alleged that the federal government has been ”cheating its workforce over the years, and it has gotten to a stage where workers can no longer endure.”

Emelieze said workers called for the indefinite national protest because they could no longer cope with the hardship facing them.

According to him, part of the forum demands is immediate payment of outstanding five monthly wage awards.

He said government stopped the wage award payment in March 2024, since then no federal worker has received the money contrary to government claim that it has paid the five months wage award arrears.

“In addition, we demand implementation of 40 per cent peculiar allowance and the payment of its arrears.

“The 70,000 minimum wage is unacceptable to us, it’s a slave wage, we are rejecting it and calling for its immediate upward review.

“We equally want immediate review of the heavy taxation of the federal workers’ poor wage,” he stated.

He further urged federal government to ensure that the welfare of its workforce is prioritised, saying workers are the engine room of government, “without it, governance will collapse”.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to reason with workers, and direct the relevant agencies of government to act fast on the demands of the workers.

Emelieze said the protest will be held from morning till noon every day until the federal government yields to the demands of the workers.

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