The Nigerian government has raised the monthly imprest available to ministers for day-to-day administrative spending—covering items such as office stationery, refreshments and similar costs—setting the allowance at N700,000 per month and directly contradicting claims circulating online that the payment had been cut. The change was reflected in a 2026 Annual General Imprest Warrant issued by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation.
Earlier reports had suggested that the federal government reduced imprest for ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Those accounts stated that the imprest was lowered for several categories of officials, including ministers, permanent secretaries or directors general, directors or heads of department, with figures cited of N700,000, N500,000, N300,000 and N100,000 for the relevant roles.
But verification of the 2026 Annual General Imprest Warrant indicated the opposite direction for the key categories mentioned. Instead of being reduced, the imprest levels were increased by 199% and 133%, placing the amounts in ranges between N200,000 and N400,000.
In practical terms, the warrant shows that ministers’ imprest expenses are set to rise by 133%, moving to N700,000 from an earlier N300,000. The document also indicates that directors would receive a 199% uplift.
Bawa Mokwa, spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, confirmed the adjustment in discussions on Monday, saying imprest was increased for ministers and other officials. He attributed the decision to prevailing economic conditions.
The move comes as Nigerian workers continue to navigate the pressure of a newly negotiated N70,000 minimum wage, which was reported as standing at N840,000 per annum. Against that backdrop, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has called for the minimum wage to be raised to N1 million per month, while the Nigerian Governors Forum has put forward a proposal of N100,000.
