Staff of the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service, KWIRS, have decried poor welfare conditions, rising living costs and stagnant salaries, despite their contributions to the state’s revenue generation.
In a circular issued by the KWIRS chapter of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, the workers lamented that their sacrifices and professionalism, which had place Kwara among the more self-reliant states in the country, had not been matched by corresponding improvements in their welfare.
The workers questioned the disparity between their contributions to the state’s revenue and their welfare, saying many were battling financial hardship.
“We block leakages. We are posted to hospitals and other MDAs to secure government revenue. We work under pressure day and night, but we continue to struggle to meet basic needs due to poor salaries,” they lamented.
According to the circular signed by the chapter’s Secretary, Adam Ibrahim, many KWIRS staff now exhaust their salaries before the end of the month due to loan deductions from fintech platforms, as well as other financial institutions, forcing them to borrow simply to survive.
The association further expressed concern that personnel costs had remained unchanged for years, while other expenditure heads had continued to increase.
It also cited a salary negotiation agreement dated October 11, 2022, which reportedly stated that the adjustment would be implemented “as soon as it can be accommodated in the budget.”
According to the workers, nearly four years after the agreement, there had been no implementation or clear indication of when the adjustment would take effect, despite the rising cost of living.
The staff said expenses on school fees, house rent, transportation and food had increased significantly, while their salaries remained unchanged.
“We smile outside, but the majority of us are bleeding inside. We cannot continue to generate wealth for the state while we wallow in abject poverty,” the workers declared.
Urging their colleagues to remain united and resolute in pursuing improved welfare, the association said workers should not expect better conditions without collectively standing up for their interests.
It called on members to remain calm, vigilant and prayerful as a 14-day period beginning October 15, 2026, counted down, without providing further details about the expected action at its conclusion.
In separate chats with some of the workers, they condemned the state government for spending billions of naira on the construction of the new Revenue House without addressing the welfare of the staff who work there.
“What is the essence of a big and beautiful workplace inhabited by poor and suffering workers?” one of them asked.
The KWIRS workers’ grievances add to a growing list of labour agitations that have trailed the administration of Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in recent months, with various unions across the state’s judiciary, health and education sectors also raising similar concerns over unresolved welfare demands.
Meanwhile, doctors employed by the state government have been on a 14-day warning strike since last week, paralysing medical services at state-owned hospitals across the state and leaving patients vulnerable.
Kwara Revenue Service workers threaten strike over poor welfare