Some federal workers in Oyo State on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over poor welfare and unpaid entitlements.
The protest took place in front of the Federal Secretariat at Ikolaba, Ibadan. It was organised by the Federal Workers Forum, a group that represents the interests of federal government employees.
The workers are demanding the immediate payment of five months’ wage award arrears, full implementation of the 40 percent peculiar allowance, and payment of its backlog.
The National Coordinator of the forum, Andrew Emelieze, and Secretary General, Itoro Obong, said the protest followed a 21-day ultimatum given to the Federal Government to act on their demands.
During the protest, workers carried placards with messages such as “Pay us five months wage awards”, “Federal workers have suffered enough”, and “FG workers live on loans”.
Speaking to journalists, Emelieze accused the government of failing its workers.
“The federal government has been cheating its workforce for years. We can no longer bear it. We are calling for a nationwide protest that will not stop until our demands are met,” he said.
He explained that the government stopped paying the wage awards in March 2024, and since then, workers have not received anything, even though authorities claim the money has been paid.
“We are also rejecting the proposed N70,000 minimum wage. It is a slave wage. We need something better to survive the high cost of living,” he added.
The group also wants the government to reduce the high level of taxation on federal workers’ salaries and improve their overall welfare.
Emelieze urged President Bola Tinubu to listen to the cries of workers and direct relevant government agencies to respond quickly.
“Federal workers are the engine room of government. Without us, governance will collapse,” he said.
The protest, according to the organisers, will continue every day from morning to noon until the government responds to their demands.
