FG’s N70,000 Transport Allowance: NLC’s Contentment vs. TUC’s Discontent

By Isaac N. Obasi

Considering that the war on Iran with a joint US-Israeli military strikes on February 28, 2026, the financial conditions of the world have actually been adversely affected. The impacts of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran where about 20% of world items and services pass through, have actually been ravaging throughout the world. In specific, the expense of living has actually increased astronomically throughout the world, and in reaction, numerous federal governments have actually embraced some palliative procedures to cushion the results of the challenge.

The expense of fuel for instance, has actually escalated all over the world and transport ended up being a huge problem in lots of nations. The expense of living crisis for that reason stimulated violent presentations in number of nations with those in Europe being the worst hit. In Nigeria, numerous voices (consisting of those of arranged labour) have actually been raised in demonstration versus the high expense of living. Many individuals consistently gotten in touch with the Federal Government (FG) to cushion the terrible impacts of the challenge on the people. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for instance needed to provide the FG a warning to act stopping working which, it would go on strike in demonstration versus the biting challenge. This is the quick background versus which the FG and the NLC satisfied on October 27, 2026 to think about the method forward.

It did not for that reason come as a surprise when the FG revealed its approval of the N70,000 (Seventy thousand Naira just) month-to-month transportation allowance to public servants for 6 months. The award which is worked from November, 2026, will end in April 2027. The award belonged to the choices taken at a conciliation conference in between the FG and the NLC on October 27, 2026 in Abuja.

There are likewise other gain from that conference although they did not create sufficient public interest like the more inclusive N70,000 transportation allowance. A few of the other advantages are (a) approval for the payment of exceptional strange allowance defaults (with reliable from May 1, 2026); (b) approval for the clearance of 19 months of impressive allowances to health employees within 3 months with impact from December, 2026; (c) contract to make up a Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee instantly towards the settlements of a brand-new nationwide base pay due in 2027; and (d) resolution of ‘the problem impacting the issuance of circular that will help with the payment of danger allowance to farming expert officers in the general public sector in Nigeria.’ (See Vanguard, November 2, 2026 to name a few papers).

For the NLC, the application of Herbert Simon’s principle of ‘satisficing’ in his book Administrative Behaviour (1947) was really proper in the scenario it discovered itself. The principle of ‘satisficing’ is Herbert Simon’s portmanteau of please and suffice instead of having a hard time and waiting (maybe constantly) for the most ideal or logical option. Once again, for the NLC, this ‘satisficing option’ would relieve the employees’ instant and growing discontentment with the increasing difficulty in the land.

This NLC’s ‘satisficing’ technique did not impress a sis labour centre the Trade Union Congress (TUC). Right away after the statement of the FG’s approval of the N70,000 transportation allowance, the TUC promptly declined the deal, and complained the NLC’s function in the conference that caused the deal. It stated that the TUC was not part of the settlement that produced the N70,000 transportation allowance. It turned down the deal on premises that what the Nigerian employees require is not a momentary wage award however a long-term wage boost with wage of the least expensive paid employees pegged at N300,000 per month. TUC’s position is the most ideal choice (rather than satisficing choice), the issue of browsing for an El dorado may make it challenging to attain, as a bed in hand deserves 2 in the bush

The TUC’s discontent over the transportation allowance would not generally bring in a commentary however for the method the TUC president Comrade Festus Osifo went for it individual versus Comrade Joe Ajaero in a problem which was carried out within the structure of the law. Those acquainted with settlements with the FG understand that for it to put together all appropriate bodies for such a conciliation conference, the federal government indicated organization versus the background of NLC’s final notice. Apart from the NLC and the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) on the labour side, the federal government side had in presence the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Civil Service Commission, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Federal Ministry of Finance, Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Budget Office of the Federation.

One would question why the TUC chose not to be part of such an essential conference when it understood that like a broom (too challenging to break), the FG would be constrained to accept the needs of an unified and more effective arranged labour than to a single broom stick (quickly breakable) which TUC chose in awaiting its own different conference. From an outsider’s viewpoint, the TUC president did not serve as a group gamer– an allegation which he by the way levelled versus the NLC president. Once again, his allegation disregarded the serious oppression which Comrade Ajaero suffered before ultimately ending up being president. History will not quickly forget the reality that Ajaero acted the method he did (which Comrade Osifo was describing) to make a point concerning the oppression he suffered. Ultimately, those who conspired versus him found out the fact the difficult method. It appears apparent for that reason that there is more to TUC’s discontent to the N70,000 transportation allowance than what it provided as its objections which on a stated value appear noise. Who for example would not desire a more irreversible and sustainable raise than a simple palliative that lasts for just 6 months?

TUC needs to not be viewed as acting in a way that would make individuals to implicate it of overturning the interest of employees. One has actually not forgotten why and how the TUC was formed in 2005 as a countervailing labour centre that would inspect the viewed ideological stubbornness of the NLC. Only simply recently, the TUC in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) asked its members not to participate in a strike called by the NLC on premises that it was not part of the settlement where the choice was made. In a Channels Television News of October 9, 2026 (upgraded), it was reported that the TUC had actually directed ‘its FCT members to ignore NLC’s indefinite strike order’, stating that ‘it neither took part in the conference that produced the instruction nor backed the choice to start commercial action.’ (See https://www.channelstv.com/2026/10/09/tuc-directs-fct-members-to-disregard-nlcs-indefinite-strike-order/?utm_source=auto-read-also&utm_medium=web. One might start to question if the brand-new design of TUC is to overturn the NLC. This would advise a few of us regarding why the TUC was developed in the very first location. The TUC ought to understand that labour union historians are viewing really acutely.

– Prof. Obasi, a public law specialist and expert is previously of the Department of Public Administration, University of Abuja.