Public sector workers across Nigeria will begin a three-day warning strike from midnight today, after the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) said President Bola Tinubu failed to address their demands in his Independence Day broadcast.
The council directed all employees of federal, state and local governments, including those in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), to comply fully with the industrial action. It cited worsening economic and mental hardship among workers and other Nigerians.
The strike runs from midnight on Friday, October 2, to Sunday, October 4, 2026.
Demands ignored
The unions had demanded a cut in the pump price of petrol to N500 per litre, a wage award, and measures to ease the hardship. Petrol currently sells for between N1,400 and N2,000 per litre depending on location.
The council said Tinubu’s October 1 address made no reference to these demands and offered no immediate relief.
A JNPSNC leader told Vanguard: “We are deeply disappointed that the President’s Independence Anniversary address failed to address our legitimate demands.” He said that although the President acknowledged citizens’ suffering, the speech offered “no concrete relief or meaningful response.”
The strike will therefore go ahead as planned, he added.
The circular
The directive was issued yesterday in a circular signed by the JNPSNC National Secretary (Trade Union side), Olowoyo Gbenga, titled “Declaration of three day Warning Strike; action with immediate effect.” It was addressed to national presidents, general secretaries, and state chairmen and secretaries of affiliate unions.
The circular urged all public servants to join the action, saying “an injury to one is an injury to all.”
JNPSNC 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).
Background to the strike
The council wrote to Tinubu on September 21, 2026, making three main demands:
- Fuel price: Cut the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) to N500 per litre through an intervention fund to address landing costs and support oil and gas operators. The council also urged the Federal Government to sell crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and modular refineries on appropriate terms to boost local refining. It described prices of N1,450 to N2,000, and up to N2,500 in some areas outside major cities, as unacceptable.
- Wage award: Approve an immediate wage award to cushion the effects of harsh economic conditions on workers and vulnerable Nigerians.
- Minimum wage: Set up a tripartite committee now to begin negotiations for the new national minimum wage due in 2027, with a demand of not less than N500,000, so that implementation is not delayed once it is passed into law.
On September 29, the council warned that it would begin the strike on October 2 if these issues were not addressed by September 30, especially in the President’s Independence Day address.
SSANU raises alarm over 2026 agreement
Meanwhile, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) has warned against delays, selective implementation and marginalisation in the rollout of the 2026 FGN/SSANU Agreement.
Delivering the State of the Union Address at the union’s 56th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, SSANU National President Mohammed Ibrahim said implementation had “commenced in some universities” but remained incomplete in others because of “funding and administrative challenges.”
He directed branches and zones to monitor implementation, keep accurate membership records, document cases of non-compliance or victimisation, and report promptly to the National Secretariat.
“Our commitment to dialogue and constructive engagement should not be mistaken for weakness,” Ibrahim said. “Where implementation is deliberately frustrated or the decisions of NEC are ignored, the Union reserves the right to take all lawful and constitutional steps necessary to defend the interests of its members.”
He added that the 2026 Agreement took effect from January 1, 2026, although it was formally signed on June 29, 2026, and said financial obligations from the effective date remain outstanding and must be fully addressed.
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