The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has expressed displeasure over the prolonged delay by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) in issuing a circular to facilitate the implementation of occupational hazard allowance approved for some agricultural professionals in the public service.
The Council, in a letter jointly signed by its National Chairman, Comrade Benjamin Anto Uyanto, mni, and National Secretary, Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga, warned that the continued delay could trigger an industrial dispute, including the picketing of the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The labour body said the approval for the payment of the allowance was granted at the 46th National Council on Establishment (NCE) meeting held in Ede, Osun State, from November 4 to 8, 2024, yet the necessary circular to give effect to the decision had not been issued.
According to the JNPSNC, the latest letter is the third correspondence sent to the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the matter without an appropriate response or action.
The first letter, dated June 4, 2026, was titled “Demand for the Implementation of National Council on Establishment (NCE) Decision on the Payment of Occupational Hazard Allowance to Some Agricultural Professionals in the Public Service.
A second letter dated July 21, 2026, referenced JNPSNC/GEN/COR/VOL 1/210, was subsequently sent under the title “Re-Demand for the Implementation of National Council on Establishment (NCE) Decision on the Payment of Occupational Hazard Allowance to Some Agricultural Professionals in the Public Service.”
The labour council said it was concerned that despite the repeated communications, no concrete action had been taken by the relevant authorities.
The JNPSNC recalled that the memorandum on the hazard allowance was first presented at separate and joint meetings of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where it was considered and approved before being transmitted to the 46th meeting of the National Council on Establishment.
The NCE, at its meeting in Ede on November 8, 2024, approved the payment of occupational hazard allowance to agricultural officers in the public service at both national and sub-national levels.
The council said the decision was contained in the official communique issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the then Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Esther Didi Walson-Jack, and the Permanent Secretary (SPSO)/Secretary of Council, Dr Deborah O. N. Odoh, MCIPM.
It added that the approval was captured on page three of the communique under the provision titled “Extension of Payment of Occupational Hazard Allowance to Some Agricultural Professionals in the Public Service.”
The labour body lamented that nearly two years after the approval, the affected workers were yet to benefit from the decision.
The JNPSNC therefore urged the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to facilitate the immediate issuance of the appropriate circular required for the implementation of the approved allowance.
It argued that implementing the decision would not only address the concerns of the affected agricultural professionals but also boost their morale and encourage greater commitment, productivity and efficiency in the public service.
The council stressed that the request was of utmost importance to its national leadership and the workers covered by the approval.
It, however, warned that failure to act promptly could lead to an avoidable industrial dispute. “Please, your esteemed office is hereby invited to facilitate the issuance of the circular so that it will not trigger avoidable industrial dispute that may transcend to picketing the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation,” the labour leaders stated.
The JNPSNC called for urgent action to resolve the matter and give effect to the decision of the National Council on Establishment.
