RismadarVoice Reporters
September 30, 2026
Public servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, have maintained their September 30 deadline for the Federal Government to address rising petrol prices, approve a wage award and begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The council, comprising eight public sector unions, said its members would begin a three-day warning strike on Friday, October 2, if the government fails to address its demands.
The workers are demanding a reduction in the price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, to ₦500 per litre and an immediate wage award to cushion the impact of rising living costs.
They are also asking the Federal Government to constitute a tripartite committee to begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage expected to take effect in 2027.
The JNPSNC had communicated its demands to President Bola Tinubu in a September 21 letter, calling for urgent intervention to ease the economic pressure on workers and their dependants.
In a statement, the council’s National Secretary and General Secretary of the Nigeria Civil Service Union, Gbenga Olowoyo, maintained that today’s deadline remained firm.
The council proposed establishing an intervention fund to address landing costs and support operators in the oil and gas sector as one possible measure to reduce petrol prices.
It also urged the government to ensure adequate crude oil supply to the Dangote Refinery and modular refinery operators to boost domestic refining and potentially reduce petroleum product costs.
According to the unions, petrol currently sells for between ₦1,450 and ₦2,000 per litre in many locations and could reach ₦2,500 in some areas outside major cities.
The council said these had increased due to transportation, food and other essential costs, placing additional pressure on workers and their families.
It therefore demanded an immediate wage award as an interim measure to help public servants cope with the rising cost of living.
The unions also want preparations for the next national minimum wage to begin early, arguing that establishing a tripartite negotiating committee now could prevent delays when a new wage becomes due in 2027.
The council said public servants had been mobilised for the three-day warning strike should the Federal Government fail to respond satisfactorily by the end of September 30.
It also called on President Tinubu to address the workers’ demands during his Independence Day address on October 1.
The JNPSNC maintained that its deadline remained unchanged as workers awaited the Federal Government’s response ahead of the proposed October 2 industrial action.
