The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) has threatened to begin a three-day nationwide warning strike on Friday, October 2, 2026, if the Federal Government fails to address its demands in President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has also thrown its weight behind the public sector unions.
The workers had, on September 21, written to President Tinubu outlining their demands. They later issued a September 30 ultimatum over the rising cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, the demand for a wage award, and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The JNPSNC, which comprises eight public sector unions, said the warning strike would go ahead if the government fails to reduce petrol to N500 per litre, announce a wage award and introduce other measures to ease the hardship in the country.
Its members include the Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU); Medical and Health Workers Union (M&HWU); Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN); and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM).
Others are the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE); Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW); National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPPROW); and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAEE).
The council said it had mobilised public servants across the country for the action.
In a statement, the JNPSNC National Secretary and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Olowoyo Gbenga, said the September 30 deadline “remained sacrosanct” and that the concerns of Nigerian workers could no longer be ignored.
He listed three critical demands:
Fuel price: The council wants the Federal Government to reduce the pump price of petrol to N500 per litre. According to Gbenga, this could be achieved through an intervention fund to address landing costs and support oil and gas operators.
He also urged the government to sell crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and modular refineries on appropriate terms to boost domestic refining and bring down the price of petroleum products.
Gbenga described the current pump price, ranging from N1,450 to N2,000 per litre and as high as N2,500 in some locations outside major cities, as “unacceptable to Nigerian workers.”
He said the high cost of fuel was placing the survival of workers, their dependants and the general populace under severe pressure.
Wage award: The council urged the government to approve a wage award to cushion the effects of the harsh economic conditions on workers and vulnerable Nigerians. It argued that this would help public servants consolidate their loyalty, commitment and productivity.
Minimum wage committee: The council also demanded the immediate setting up of a tripartite committee to begin negotiations for the new national minimum wage, expected to become due in 2027. It said this was necessary to avoid administrative or procedural delays in implementing the new wage once it is negotiated and passed into law by the National Assembly.
The council said failure to act on or before September 30 would leave workers with no option but to begin the three-day warning strike on October 2, adding that the President’s Independence Day address should adequately address the issues.
NLC backs unions
Speaking to Vanguard, NLC Assistant General Secretary, Chris Onyeka, said the Congress supported the unions’ action, noting that most of them are its affiliates.
According to him, what public sector workers are going through is also being felt by private-sector, state and informal-sector workers.
He expressed surprise that the government had not rolled out immediate cushioning measures, especially after the recent hike in the prices of petrol and cooking gas, describing the inaction as “disappointing and shocking.”
Onyeka also said the government had yet to respond to the NLC’s letter requesting the constitution of a National Minimum Wage Negotiation Committee, despite the urgency of the matter.
“It is common knowledge that the value of the N70,000 minimum wage had already been eroded by inflation, even before its implementation began,” he said.
He warned that if the unions’ demands were not met quickly, the situation could snowball into a national strike involving all workers, and advised the government to ensure that any measures reflect the needs of the masses.
Efforts to reach officials of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity were unsuccessful. However, a source in the ministry said the appropriate authorities were handling the issue, adding that he was not in a position to speak for the ministry.
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