N70,000 allowance: Labour turns heat on govs

State chapters of organised labour have begun moves to commit state governors to adopt the Federal Government’s N70,000 transport relief initiative for workers, Saturday PUNCH reports.

While the Nigeria Labour Congress in Lagos State is eyeing N100,000 monthly for workers, its Kebbi counterpart is considering an allowance of between N40,000 and N70,000.

Our correspondents gathered that labour leaders in other states are also preparing to engage their governments, while some are awaiting directives from their national leadership.

The Federal Government had approved a N70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers across all levels for six months, beginning in November 2026, to cushion the impact of rising living costs after a conciliation meeting with the NLC on Tuesday.

Lagos NLC eyes N100,000 allowance

Speaking on the union’s move, the Lagos State Chairperson of the NLC, Agnes Sesi, said the union would formally engage the state government over the proposed package, noting that workers were eyeing a N100,000 allowance.

She maintained that the cost of transportation and living expenses in the state justified an allowance higher than the federal benchmark.

Sesi said Lagos workers deserved at least the same amount negotiated for federal workers.

“If the NLC is asking for N70,000, it should cut across states. If the state government cannot do more, we do not expect them to do less because of Lagos peculiarity.

“In fact, we are even expecting the state government to increase ours to N100,000 because of our sacrifices and resilience. But if they cannot do more than the N70,000, we are not expecting anything less.

“Transportation is expensive in Lagos. Livelihoods are high, accommodation is high, and feeding is on the high side. Everything is on the high side in Lagos State,” she added.

The labour leader urged the government to implement the relief package without delay, warning against allowing payments to accumulate as arrears.

“We don’t want the government to drag its feet on it. We don’t want this to enter into arrears.”

Kaduna, Benue workers target N70,000

In Kaduna State, the NLC Chairman, Ayuba Magaji, said the union would demand a minimum monthly transport allowance of N70,000 and would formally write to Governor Uba Sani to begin negotiations.

He said the N70,000 would serve as the starting point for negotiations, but the union would seek a higher amount if the state could afford it.

“We have received a circular from the national headquarters of the Congress. As I am talking to you, my secretary and I are making arrangements, and immediately after this programme, he will write a letter to the government to intimate it about this and the need for us to commence discussions immediately,” he said.

He added that the circular encouraged state and local governments to adopt the initiative and directed state councils to engage their respective governments.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the Benue State NLC Chairman, Terungwa Igbe, said the union would insist on N70,000 but was yet to receive correspondence from the national secretariat.

However, the Benue State Government said it had yet to hold specific discussions on the package, even as the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Solomon Iorpev, said Governor Hyacinth Alia would support measures to ease the burden on residents.

In Bayelsa State, the NLC Chairman, Barnabas Simon, said the state should not be excluded from the implementation of the resolution reached between organised labour and the Federal Government.

He said, “Bayelsa State is not operating a different economy from other states. We are not living under a separate economic system. Whatever affects other states also affects Bayelsa. Therefore, Bayelsa should not be left out of the implementation of the resolution.”

Kebbi NLC lobbies assembly

The Kebbi State NLC Chairman, Murtala Usman, said the union had begun lobbying members of the state House of Assembly to support its proposed transport allowance, which would range from N40,000 to N70,000.

He, however, said the allowance would be negotiated based on the state government’s financial capacity and the different categories of workers.

“I have already commenced lobbying for it. I was at the state House of Assembly on Thursday to speak with some lawmakers on how they can support us when the discussion begins,” Usman added.

Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Gombe, Niger workers to meet govt

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In Ondo State, the NLC Chairman, Ademola Olopade, said the union planned to meet the state government in the coming days.

Asked whether the union would negotiate for a higher amount, Olopade said it would follow the agreement reached by the national leadership.

“We can’t go contrary to what the national body has negotiated with the Federal Government. Don’t forget the TUC came up with another idea; they were not part of the decision. But we at the NLC, there’s no way I can do anything contrary to the agreement between the NLC and the government on the N70,000,” he said.

The state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, said the government would implement its transport relief package for workers in line with the Federal Government-labour agreement.

Similarly, the Chairman of the NLC caretaker committee in Edo State, Prof Monday Igbafen, said the state council would begin discussions with the government to domesticate the N70,000 transport relief package.

He noted that industrial action might not be immediate unless the government proved uncooperative.

In Rivers State, the NLC said it had written to the state government seeking an audience on the proposed allowance, while the TUC called for an increase in wages rather than a temporary relief package.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the state NLC Chairman, Alex Agwanwor, said, “For us in the state, we have already written to the state government on what has been agreed between the Federal Government during the meeting with our leaders.”

However, the state TUC Chairman, Samuel Ogan, opposed the allowance, saying it was not sustainable because it would last only six months.

“It’s a good gesture, but the TUC is saying the economic hardship is beyond the N70,000 or palliative, and that it is not sustainable in the sense that it’s for a short period of six months.

“We want a situation where the government increases the wage of the workers beyond the current wage. In fact, what they are proposing, let it be there before we even go and discuss the new wage,” he added.

Also, the Chairman of the NLC in Gombe State, Yusuf Bello, said the congress had received a directive from the national headquarters on the transportation allowance.

He said, “There is a directive from the national headquarters and we will write to them (Gombe State Government). We can’t push for less than N70,000, and from there, we will go and relate with our executives.”

Saturday PUNCH also gathered that the NLC in Niger State had taken steps to discuss the relief allowance with the state government.

However, the NLC Chairman in the state, Idris Lafene, said the union had yet to begin negotiations because the Head of Service was unavailable.

Minimum wage negotiations protected

In Abia State, the NLC Chairman, Ogbonnaya Okoro, said the union would insist on the N70,000 package for six months and would not allow it to undermine separate minimum wage negotiations.

He said the union would engage the state government after receiving guidelines from the Federal Government.

When contacted, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor, Ferdinand Ekeoma, said it was premature to comment before the Federal Government released the details.

“Let us wait until the Federal Government rolls out the details for us to know how it will be,” he said.

The NLC chairmen in Sokoto and Kano states, Abdullahi Jungle and Kabiru Inuwa, respectively, said the union was awaiting an official circular from its national headquarters before engaging their respective state governments.

Jungle said the circular would provide guidance on how to negotiate with the government and that the state chapter would proceed once it received the necessary directives.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, the Osun State TUC Chairman, Abimbola Fasasi, said the leadership of the labour movement in the state had been engaging Governor Ademola Adeleke on measures to cushion the effects of economic hardship on workers.

Fasasi noted that the non-release of local government allocations to Osun local government areas since February 2025 had contributed significantly to the hardship.

“We have been engaging the governor and appealing to him to find something to do for our people due to the hike in petrol pump prices. Also, the seizure of local government allocations in Osun State has caused a lot of hardship,” Fasasi said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Ogun State, Akeem Lasisi, told Saturday PUNCH that organised labour had not initiated discussions on the new federal package, noting that the union was instead engaging the government to extend the N10,000 transport support currently offered to public officers.

He said, “Organised Labour has not initiated discussions on this, but we have been engaging the government on ways to ease the suffering of workers across the state. One proposal is to extend the N10,000 transport relief currently offered to public officers in the state. We shall meet next week to discuss the next course of action,” he said.