Nigeria’s federal government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) agreed Oct. 27 to a N70,000 transport intervention running for six months from November 2026, but the agreement does not say how often payments will be made or who will receive them.
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment release describes the intervention as applying “across all levels” and urges state and local governments to take part. It does not confirm their participation or provide eligibility rules, a beneficiary count or a payment process. The federal government is the stated payer, but the agreement does not give the total cost.
The coverage question is significant in a country where informal employment accounted for 92.7% of employment in the first quarter of 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The agency’s 2023 annual survey found that 25.6% of employees or wage earners worked in the public sector. Neither figure identifies who qualifies for the new intervention.
The deal has drawn different responses from labor leaders. Trade Union Congress (TUC) President Festus Osifo argued that workers need a lasting salary increase, telling Channels Television they want “something that is much more sustaining.” NLC President Joe Ajaero defended the deal and said the TUC did not negotiate it; Channels Television quoted him as saying it was “not signed by the Trade Union Congress.”
Nigeria’s 2024 National Minimum Wage Act set a monthly minimum of N70,000, and the government promised a review after three years. The transport intervention is separate. The government and the NLC agreed to start minimum-wage negotiations immediately, but have not resolved when a new wage would take effect.
The ministry release also schedules arrears of an allowance it calls “peculiar,” effective May 1, 2026, for payment in three equal monthly installments beginning in November. It says 19 months of health workers’ allowance arrears are to be paid within three months from December 2026.
NBS reported that headline inflation was 14.63% year over year in September, down from 15.39% in August, while food inflation was 19.59% year over year. The figures show that annual price increases slowed; they do not indicate that prices fell.
BusinessDay reported that Labour Party national publicity secretary Ken Asogwa accused the intervention of carrying “the imprint of vote-buying.” The report attributed the allegation to Asogwa and did not establish the government’s intent.
The government and the NLC agreed to meet again after one month to review implementation. The ministry release gives no specific date for that meeting.
