Pharmacist Rejects Federal Job after Seeing Salary, Shares Appointment Letter as Proof, Many React
- A Nigerian pharmacist with the handle @Pharm_Emem turned down a federal government job offer after discovering her monthly take-home pay
- She shared her official appointment letter on X, showing a total annual package of N3.89 million under CONHESS 09 Step 02
- The pharmacist revealed that she already earns nearly double the salary the federal job offered, working in a private pharmacy
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A Nigerian pharmacist has turned down a federal government job offer after calculating that her monthly take-home pay would amount to roughly N260,000, a figure she described as insufficient to even cover her fuel costs to work.
@Pharm_Emem disclosed this on X on September 8, 2026, sharing a photograph of her official offer of appointment letter to back up her claims.
Source: Twitter
The document showed she had been offered the position of Pharmacist Grade I under CONHESS 09 Step 02, with a commencing annual salary of N2,441,897.04.
Additional allowances, including a hazard allowance of N384,000 per annum, a call duty allowance of N683,633.40 per annum, and a teaching allowance of N244,189.68 per annum, brought her total annual package to N3,893,530.44.
Despite those additions, the pharmacist said the actual take-home after deductions would be too low to sustain a reasonable standard of living. She wrote that she would have been forced to abandon her car and rely on public transport just to get to work.
Private sector pays better, pharmacist says
The post was made in response to a video by comedian Lasisi Elenu, in which he lamented the poor state of government hospitals and the shortage of bed spaces in Nigerian public health facilities.
For @Pharm_Emem, the salary on offer showed exactly why healthcare workers keep leaving the public sector.
In the comment section, she explained that she already earns close to double the offered salary at her current private pharmacy job.
She also noted that even her entry-level tech side hustle had paid her more.
"I already earn almost double of that in a private pharmacy but because it's Federal job I should quit and be struggling with 260k," she wrote.
"Even my tech side job paid me more as an entry level. Federal government need to do better else healthcare workers will keep leaving."
See the appointment letter below:
Nigerians weigh in on the federal pay gap
The post drew significant engagement, with many Nigerians sharing their own experiences of public sector wages.
@mrmavens_ said:
"This must be a joke, I was earning over 500k as a pharmacy sales rep 8yrs in Uyo. Before I left Nigeria I was making more than this on commission sef. Is Nigeria going forward or backward because whats this rubbish salary."
@NwankuduJessica said:
"It will shock you that my salary is still stuck at 270k as a level 9 federal worker since two yrs I started work as a nurse, shame Dey catch me sef to say what my salary is🥹if you see how much people imagine my salary is ehe you will be marveled, this govt work is nothing."
@aeon07 said:
"The problem isn't really the salary, it is the spirit behind the wage system that is flawed. Public service is it own reward, however, it must be backed by a system that protects those in its employ. Transportation, housing, healthcare, education etc ought to be free for staff."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that a job seeker had turned down a job offering N250,000 with free housing over the employer's unexpected demands.
Lady rejects job paying N100k
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a lady who rejected a N100,000 job explained why.
The lady, who had been applying for a position, was taken aback by the firm's proposal, which she deemed unacceptable.
In a funny video, the lady, identified as @thejayohwhy on TikTok, revealed her response to the job offer.
Source: Legit.ng
