President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a transport support package of ₦70,000 for public service workers across all levels, with the payment scheduled to run for six months from November 2026, following a meeting between the Federal Government and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The agreement was reached on Tuesday, October 27, during discussions involving the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, and an NLC delegation led by its president, Joe Ajaero.

According to the Federal Government, the intervention is intended to cushion the impact of rising living costs on workers as disagreements over petrol prices and the implementation of the national minimum wage continue.

The government stated that the transport support would begin in November and be paid across all levels of the public service for six months.

“That transport intervention of seventy thousand naira (N70,000), commencing from November 2026, would be paid across all levels for a period of six months.”

The announcement came as a four-day deadline issued by the NLC over fuel prices and the minimum wage dispute reached its end. The union had threatened industrial action if the government failed to address its demands, including a reduction in petrol prices and a review of the ₦70,000 monthly minimum wage.

Beyond the transport intervention, the Federal Government also agreed to pay outstanding peculiar allowance arrears, effective from May 1, 2026.

The arrears will be settled in three equal monthly instalments, beginning in November, according to the report.

The meeting also produced an agreement to establish a negotiation committee involving the government and labour representatives. The committee is expected to begin work immediately to determine an effective date for implementing a new national minimum wage.

However, the latest agreement does not, by itself, establish that a new minimum wage has been approved. The parties are still expected to negotiate the implementation timeline.

The transport support and allowance arrears form part of the government’s response to labour concerns over the rising cost of living and workers’ purchasing power.

The NLC had previously demanded action on petrol prices and a review of the existing ₦70,000 minimum wage, arguing that prevailing economic pressures had increased the financial burden on Nigerian workers.

The outcome of the latest meeting provides a basis for further negotiations, although the implementation of the agreed measures and the outcome of discussions on a new minimum wage remain important issues to watch.