Nigerian Workers Demand N500 Petrol and Wage Award.

The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council has reaffirmed its September 30 deadline for the Federal Government to address workers’ concerns over petrol prices, wage support and negotiations for a new national minimum wage.

The council, which represents eight public-sector unions, said it had mobilised workers nationwide for a three-day warning strike beginning Friday, October 2, if the government failed to act by the deadline.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 29, the JNPSNC said the deadline was final and urged President Bola Tinubu to respond to the demands, including in his Independence Day address. The council had written to the President on September 21.

Its demands include reducing petrol, or Premium Motor Spirit, to N500 per litre; announcing an immediate wage award to help workers cope with rising living costs; and establishing a tripartite committee to begin negotiations for a new minimum wage expected to take effect in 2027. The council is seeking a minimum wage of at least N500,000.

The statement, signed by JNPSNC National Secretary Gbenga Olowoyo, said petrol prices currently range from N1,450 to N2,000 per litre, and can reach N2,500 in some areas. It described the cost as unacceptable and said expensive fuel was putting severe pressure on workers, their families and the wider public.

The council proposed that the government provide an intervention fund to address fuel landing costs and support oil and gas operators. It also called for crude oil to be sold to the Dangote Refinery and modular refinery operators on appropriate terms, arguing that greater domestic refining could help reduce prices.

On wages, the JNPSNC said an immediate award was needed to cushion the impact of prevailing economic hardship. It said such support would also help maintain public servants’ commitment and productivity.

The council said forming a committee promptly was necessary to prevent administrative or procedural delays in negotiating and implementing the next minimum wage once it had been agreed and passed into law.

The unions warned that failure to take the requested steps by September 30 would leave workers with “no option” but to begin the three-day strike on October 2. They said the President’s Independence Day address should adequately address the issues, adding that continued inaction would deepen workers’ dissatisfaction and hardship among vulnerable Nigerians.

The eight affiliated unions include the Nigerian Civil Service Union, the Medical and Health Workers Union, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives. Others represent public corporations, public-service and allied workers, printing and publishing workers, and agriculture and allied employees.