Workers Strike Over Rising Costs and Unmet Government Demands.
Workers Strike Over Rising Costs and Unmet Government Demands.
Public service workers across Nigeria have been directed to begin a three-day warning strike from Friday, October 2, to Sunday, October 4, 2026, in protest against worsening economic pressures and what their union says is the government’s failure to respond to workers’ demands.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council instructed its national and state leaders to mobilise members in federal, state and local government services. The action is scheduled to begin at midnight on Friday and end on Sunday.
The directive was issued in a circular dated October 1 and signed by the council’s National Secretary, Olowoyo Gbenga. It said the strike followed the Federal Government’s failure to address requests sent to President Bola Tinubu in a letter dated September 21.
The council urged all public servants to join the action, arguing that the hardship is affecting workers, their families and vulnerable Nigerians. It described the economic and mental strain as increasingly unbearable and frustrating, and called on union leaders to begin mobilisation immediately.
The planned strike follows demands for measures to ease the impact of rising living costs. These include reducing the price of petrol, providing workers with a wage award and beginning negotiations on a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027.
The council has reportedly asked the government to lower the petrol pump price to N500 per litre, approve an immediate wage award and establish a tripartite committee to negotiate a new minimum wage.
Workers’ concerns come amid continued increases in the cost of essential goods, transport and other household expenses, which have reduced the purchasing power of many Nigerians. The council said the action was intended to draw attention to the difficulties facing public servants and their dependants.
In the circular, the council called on its members to share the strike notice widely and expressed confidence that the action would succeed. It maintained that the strike would proceed as scheduled, with workers across all three tiers of government expected to participate.
The Ministry of Labour had not responded to requests for comment by the time the report was filed.
