Workers Day: FG okays N10bn housing loan, reviews pay for civil servants

To commemorate Workers’ Day, the federal government has approved a N10 billion housing loan, revised take-home pay, and reviewed allowances, retirement protection, and other benefits for civil servants.

Didi Esther Walson-Jack, head of the Civil Service of the Federation, detailed this comprehensive suite of welfare reforms approved by President Tinubu during a briefing.

According to her, these reforms signal a shift in administrative philosophy, moving the welfare of public servants from a “mere footnote to the front and center of the national agenda”.

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She acknowledged the tireless work of civil servants, noting that they are the invisible architecture of Nigeria, the ones who process files, deliver services, coordinate policies, and maintain the machinery of government.

Housing loan scheme

A major highlight of the announcement is the approval of the housing loan scheme to improve home ownership for civil servants. Facilitated through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, the initiative will provide stability and focus for families.

Walson-Jack observed that “a person who owns their own home stands differently”, suggesting that such security allows civil servants to come to work with “more stability, more focus, and more purpose”.

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Revised take-home pay
To reflect current economic realities, the administration has implemented a comprehensive review of allowances. This includes:

Peculiar allowance: Increased for officers on consolidated salary structures, affecting both junior and senior cadres.

Operational allowances: Upward revisions for DTA, ESTA code, and book allowances.

Walson-Jack asserted that these adjustments are calibrated to reflect current economic realities, noting that a worker should not have to subsidise accommodation from their personal pocket while on official duty.

“These revised allowances have been structured to reflect across all grade levels, resulting in a meaningful increase in take-home pay across different cadres. So whether you are a junior officer or a senior professional, this improvement is designed specially for you,” she said.

Retirement and protection through the exit benefit scheme
The administration has also introduced significant financial cushions for those concluding their years of service.

A standout measure is the Exit Benefit Scheme, which provides 100 percent of a retiring employee’s total annual emoluments to treasury-funded servants under the Contributory Pension Scheme, effective January 1, 2026.

“Let us be clear about what this means. No civil servant who has dedicated their working life to this nation should walk out of government empty-handed. From this point on, retirement will carry the dignity it always deserved.”

“For the avoidance of doubt, the exit benefit scheme is in addition to the pension of a civil servant”, Walson-Jack clarified.

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Employee compensation scheme
Also, the Employee Compensation Scheme has been operationalised as a social protection mechanism to compensate civil servants for:

Work-related injuries or disability.
Occupational diseases

Loss of life in the course of duty.

Walson-Jack noted that this assurance ensures a worker “should never have to worry that an accident at work will leave their family without support”.

Investing in professional growth
The federal government will also be removing financial barriers to skill acquisition by approving 100 percent Duty Tour Allowance (DTA) for training.

Crucially, this applies even if the officer is trained within their own location, such as an Abuja-based officer attending the Public Service Institute of Nigeria in Abuja.

Walson-Jack remarked that this sends an “unambiguous message” that the government believes in investing in its people.

As Wilson-Jack noted,
“What you are witnessing is not simply a welfare package. It is a philosophy,” Walson-Jack concluded. The administration remains committed to building a digital and paperless service where every worker “earns better and grows better”.