40% pay rise, University workers, medical doctors, police, armed forces and others not captured

There are indications that current 40% pay rise being implemented by the Federal Government is for only 144,766 federal civil servants under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure which exclude university workers, who are under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, and medical doctors, who work for the Federal Government.

Other categories of federal workers who will not benefit from the peculiar allowance are nurses, non-academic workers in tertiary institutions, the police and members of the armed forces, among others.

According to a a memo reportedly authored by Ekpo Nta of National Salaries Income and Wages Commission only 144,766 staff members of the federal civil service under the CONPSS salary structure would be paid.

“I refer to my letter No. SWC/S/04/S,651/11/271 dated 24th of February, 2023 and the conclusions of the 11th meeting of the Presidential Committee on Salaries held on 7th of March, 2023 on the above-mentioned subject and convey approval for the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning to implement the peculiar allowance attached herewith for staff on the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure.”

“This approval takes effect from 1st of January, 2023 and the estimated sum of seventy nine billion, three hundred and seventy-three million, three hundred and forty thousand, nine hundred and fifty-nine Naira (N79,373,340,959.00) per annum required to implement it for the 144,766 staff on CONPSS will be funded from the treasury.

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“The commission will periodically monitor the implementation of this approval through salary inspections.”

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, had disclosed that the Federal Government approved a pay raise for civil servants in the country.

He added that the pay rise had been included in the 2023 budget, noting that it would take effect from January 1, 2023.

Ngige described the pay raise as a peculiar allowance for civil servants in view of the current economic reality and it was meant to help government workers to cushion the effects of rising inflation, rising cost of living, and hikes in transportation fare, housing and electricity tariffs. However, the implementation of the pay rise has excluded some other staff of the Federal government which is capable of creating frition in the system.