FIC Report (Oyo State) – On the morning of April 23, 2025, protesters gathered at the gate of the Federal Secretariat Complex, Ikolaba Ibadan, to demand for payment of the 5 months minimum wage arrears, as well as increase in the national minimum wage.
The peaceful protest was organized by the Federal Workers Forum (FWF), drawing participation from various federal government workers within and outside the secretariat.
Chanting ”Solidarity Forever,” “Aluta Continua,” and “No Retreat, No Surrender,” demonstrators staged a lockout, refusing anyone entry into the secretariat building. The protest, which began around 8:30 AM, was, however, peaceful, and the crowd grew steadily as more workers arrived.
The protesters carried placards that read “70k Minimum Wage is a Failure,” “Don’t Suffocate Nigerians,” “Five Months Wage Award,” “Federal Workers Have Suffered Enough,” and “No To Poor Pay.” The mood was intense but calm with police officers deployed nearby to monitor the situation.
Speakers at the protest highlighted the high cost of living and the government’s failure to meet the wage obligations.
One of the protest leaders asked “can you pay your children’s school fees?” The crowd responded in unison: “No!” They criticized the government for failing to pay the 5-month wage arrears, and paying lower minimum wage than some states. One of the protesters even compared the minimum wage of 70,000 naira to that of Oyo state which is 80,000 naira.
“State is collecting money more than the Federal, ko shele ri, it’s an abomination,” one protester declared. ”Se democracy leleyi?” (Is this democracy?”), he quib.
One protest leader described the action as “a movement against hunger and poverty,” stating, “the government keeps making promises and breaking them. We are disappointed.”
A federal worker at the scene shared his frustration: “that was how corpers fought too and they got their money. So we have to fight for our rights. Because if corpers hadn’t fought, they wouldn’t have given them their money.”
The protest also featured testimonies from workers across different ministries, all sharing stories of hardship, poor pay, and side hustles they depend on to survive. One worker left the scene saying she was going to her shop, since they were all being denied entry anyway.
The protesters revealed that the action, which began on April 22, 2025, would continue indefinitely, until the federal government addresses their demands.
However, the protest was peaceful, with security forces maintaining a safe distance.
At the time of this report on April 23rd, 2025, there were no attempts made to disperse the crowd, and protesters showed no signs of backing down.
However, in spite of the vows on Wednesday 23rd by the organisers the the protest would be indefinitely, Thursday 24th and 25th April, 2025, were without a single protester at the gate of the Federal Secretariat, Ikolaba, Ibadan, which had served as the venue for the protest in the two previous days. Likewise, the work at the various MDAs with offices at the Federal Secretariat resumed on Monday 28th, 2025, without any disturbance, as there is equally no protest on the day.
Signed
Busola Fathia Oladokun. (Miss Oladokun is a Corp member serving at FIC, Ibadan).
Edited by: Moses Oyelade, AD(I&PR), FIC, Ibadan.
