Federal Government denies approving a 40% special allowance for civil servants

The Federal Government has refuted reports in the media that it had approved a 40 percent increase in the peculiar allowance for federal civil servants.

According to the Daily Post, on 24 April 2026, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation delivered a press briefing in which he announced that the government had approved a comprehensive welfare package for civil servants, including various entitlements.

The package comprised full Duty Tour Allowance for approved training courses at selected institutions, an upward revision of the peculiar allowance across grade levels under the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS) and the Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), and higher estacode and book allowances, among other benefits.

Nevertheless, Mrs Eno Olotu, Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, issued a statement saying that no such announcement of a 40 percent peculiar allowance had come from the office.

The statement clarified that the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation had neither approved nor formally communicated the allowance to the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) or any labour union.

It added that the statutory authority for issuing and communicating such circulars lies exclusively with the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

The statement also said that the meeting held by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on 12 May 2026 was a purely interventionist and conciliatory session designed to foster dialogue between the organised labour under its purview and the NSIWC, thereby promoting mutual understanding and preventing any breakdown in labour relations in the federal civil service.