Nigerian public sector workers have threatened to launch a three-day warning strike starting Oct. 2 unless the government meets demands to drastically reduce fuel prices and approve new wage cushions, an umbrella union group said on Wednesday.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), representing eight major unions across federal, state, and local levels, said its ultimatum issued to the administration of President Bola Tinubu remains “sacrosanct.”
The union demand comes amid mounting economic hardship in Africa’s most populous nation, triggered by market-oriented reforms introduced last year, including the removal of a decades-old fuel subsidy and the devaluation of the local currency, the naira.
The JNPSNC is demanding the government slash petrol prices to 500 naira ($0.37) per liter—down from current market rates that range between 1,300 and 2,500 naira per liter.
The group urged the government to immediately establish a tripartite committee to negotiate a monthly minimum wage of 500,000 naira starting in 2027. Nigeria’s current national minimum wage stands at 70,000 naira per month.
“Failure by the Federal Government to take the necessary steps to address these issues on or before Sept. 30 will leave Nigerian workers with no option but to commence a three-day warning strike with effect from Friday, Oct. 2,” the council said in a statement.
The union suggested that the government could lower fuel costs by setting up an intervention fund for landing costs and guaranteeing crude oil supply in local currency to domestic refiners, including the mega-refinery operated by billionaire Aliko Dangote.
President Tinubu’s administration maintains that austerity measures are essential to stabilize the economy and attract long-term foreign investment, though critics and labor groups argue the immediate surge in living costs has pushed millions of public servants into severe financial distress.
A strike by the JNPSNC could paralyze government offices, public healthcare facilities, and educational institutions, affecting a civil service workforce estimated at over three million people.
