Kaduna — The National Public Service Joint Negotiating Council (JNC) in Kaduna State has expressed dissatisfaction over the prolonged delay in the approval and payment of consequential salary adjustments for civil servants on Grade Level 07 and above, warning of possible protest actions and industrial strike if the issue remains unresolved.
In a press statement issued on April 1, 2026, the umbrella body of eight industrial unions in the federal and state public service said its State Administrative Council reached the decision after a meeting held on March 30, 2026, at the secretariat of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, Kaduna State.
The council noted that members expressed displeasure over what it described as deliberate delays and “unnecessary dilly-dallying” in implementing consequential adjustments for core civil servants. According to the statement, a state minimum wage and consequential adjustment committee set up in October 2024 completed its assignment and submitted its report in November 2024, but implementation has yet to occur.
The JNC further explained that in January 2025, the state government initiated a staff verification exercise aimed at eliminating ghost workers from state and local government payrolls. The exercise, expected to last three months, reportedly extended until December 2025 without conclusion, during which the salary adjustments were not implemented.
The council stated that it had written to the governor on October 2, 2025, appealing for approval of the consequential adjustments and followed up with another letter dated January 14, 2026. Following the correspondence, the governor directed the Head of Service to constitute a negotiating review committee comprising leaders of labour unions and government officials. The committee has since submitted its report, but no action has been taken, the council said.
As a result, the JNC issued a two-point demand, urging the state government to approve and implement the committee’s recommendations before the payment of April 2026 salaries. It warned that failure to do so would lead to a boycott of the 2026 May Day celebration and a protest march, followed by a notice of full strike action across the state civil service.
The council also highlighted what it termed the “reality on ground,” noting that 35 states of the federation had completed negotiations and implemented consequential adjustments between 2024 and 2025, while Kaduna State workers were yet to benefit from the review. It added that inflation had eroded the ₦72,000 minimum wage due to rising costs of food, rent, transportation and fuel.
According to the statement, the ₦72,000 minimum wage approved by the state government was implemented only for workers on Grade Levels 01–06, leaving those on Grade Level 07 and above without corresponding adjustments. The council said this disparity had pushed many senior civil servants into financial hardship.
The JNC, which signed the statement through its chairman, Comrade Danjuma Yusuf, and secretary, Musa Muhammed, urged the state government to respond promptly to avert industrial unrest.
The council added that it remains hopeful for a quick resolution but warned that it had “exhausted the level of enduring the situation” and would mobilize members if its demands were not met.