Tinubu's N70k Transport Allowance Excludes Many Workers

The Federal Government of Nigeria, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced a N70,000 monthly transport allowance for public sector workers, set to be implemented on November 5. However, this initiative excludes unemployed Nigerians, private-sector employees, and state government workers, raising concerns about its fairness.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) pressured the government for this allowance amid rising petrol prices and inflation, which has diminished the purchasing power of the N70,000 minimum wage. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that 71.2 million Nigerians are self-employed, while only 3.32 million work in the public sector, suggesting that the majority will not benefit from this allowance.

Analysts, including Eze Onyekpere from the Centre for Social Justice, criticized the initiative as a temporary measure aimed at appeasing voters before the 2027 elections. Disagreements have also emerged between labor union leaders Joe Ajaero and Festus Osifo regarding the proposal's implications.