Nigeria's government has raised monthly imprest allowances for cabinet ministers to N700,000. This contradicts earlier reports claiming the allocations had been slashed.
The Office of the Accountant General released the 2026 Annual General Imprest Warrant with the new figures. The warrant detailed spending for office supplies, refreshments, and related costs.
Ministers will now receive a 133 percent bump from N300,000 to N700,000 monthly. Directors get a 199 percent increase in their allowances.
Initial reports had suggested imprest was being cut across all ministries and agencies. Those reports listed N700,000 for ministers and lower amounts for other officials.
But verification of the actual warrant showed the opposite is true. Permanent secretaries and directors general receive N500,000 monthly under the new arrangement.
Department heads and directors were allocated N300,000 and N100,000 respectively. These figures represent substantial increases from previous allocations.
Bawa Mokwa, spokesperson for the Accountant General's office, confirmed the raises on Monday. According to him, Nigeria's current economic realities justified the decision.
"Imprest was increased for ministers and for others," he told reporters. He cited the nation's economic situation as justification.
The timing has sparked controversy among Nigerian workers. Most earn just N70,000 monthly under the country's current minimum wage.
Labour unions have pushed back hard against this figure. Nigeria's Labour Congress wants the minimum wage raised to N1 million monthly.
Governors have proposed N100,000 as a compromise position. Workers say that still falls far short of living expenses.
