The Federal Workers Forum has renewed its call for the full implementation of the new minimum wage, payment of cost-of-living allowances, settlement of promotion arrears, peculiar allowances, and resolution of persistent salary delays. This comes as its National Coordinator, Andrew Emeziele, remains in what the group describes as illegal detention by the Department of State Services (DSS) in Ibadan.
Emeziele, a former chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Oyo State, was arrested after mobilising federal workers for a peaceful protest slated for July 1 in Abuja to press the Federal Government to honour its financial commitments to employees across ministries, departments, and agencies.
Key demands include the implementation and adjustment of the new national minimum wage without taxation; payment of 30 percent of consolidated salaries as Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to cushion inflation; settlement of promotion arrears from 2021; payment of peculiar allowances and salary reviews ranging from 25 to 35 percent for sectors such as health and federal teaching hospitals; an end to salary payment delays, particularly in tertiary institutions; and payment of all pending wage awards and entitlements.
Under Emeziele’s leadership, the Forum has grown into a national pressure group with thousands of members advocating accountability and fulfilment of government promises to workers.
According to reports, Emeziele honoured a DSS invitation on June 30, ahead of the planned protest. He was detained overnight and released the next day. However, on July 3, upon returning to the DSS office as instructed, he was detained again. By July 4, the DSS reportedly secured a court order remanding him at Agodi Prison for two weeks without notifying his lawyers. Despite the order, the DSS has allegedly kept him in its facility, denied him visitors, and failed to issue any public explanation for his continued detention.
Civil rights groups and labour activists have condemned his arrest, calling it an attempt to suppress organised labour. There is growing concern over the DSS’ repeated use of the Cybercrime Act, 2015 to target protesters and government critics.
In a statement, Dr. James Uanhoro and Dr. Izielen Agbon of Socialist Labour described the detention as “an illegal act of repression against a peaceful labour leader,” adding, “Andrew is being punished for organising workers to demand their rights. This violates constitutional rights to free speech and peaceful assembly.”
They urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and allied groups to demand his release and intensify pressure on the government to meet its obligations to workers.
“This goes beyond one individual. It reflects a disturbing trend of criminalising peaceful protest and intimidating workers into silence,” said a union member in Ibadan who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal.
The public and the labour community are encouraged to follow updates via the Forum’s official Telegram and WhatsApp channels or email allworkersconvergence@gmail.com.
As of press time, the DSS has not explained the basis of Emeziele’s continued detention, nor has it complied with the court order authorising his transfer to prison custody. Labour leaders warn that failure to act swiftly could set a dangerous precedent for the repression of workers’ rights in Nigeria.
