Civil servants across Nigeria are preparing for a nationwide three-day warning strike starting on 2 October 2026, after the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) reiterated its strict 30 September deadline for the Federal Government to tackle escalating economic hardship.
The ultimatum, detailed in a statement on Tuesday by JNPSNC National Secretary and Nigeria Civil Service Union General Secretary Gbenga Olowoyo, demands that President Bola Tinubu explicitly resolve the workers’ grievances during his upcoming Independence Day address. The council warned that failing to take action on fuel prices and financial support by the end of the month would force public servants to down tools.
Central to the dispute is a demand for the government to cut petrol prices down to ₦500 per litre through landing cost intervention funds and crude sales to the Dangote and modular refineries on favourable terms. Olowoyo stated, “The current price of PMS, ranging from ₦1,450 to ₦2,000 and, in some locations outside major communities and cities, as high as ₦2,500 per litre, is unacceptable to Nigerian workers.” He added that high fuel prices are placing workers and the general public under severe pressure, making it hard to live normal, dignified lives.
Beyond fuel costs, the council is pressing for an immediate wage award to relieve economic distress and the prompt setup of a tripartite committee to negotiate a new national minimum wage set for 2027, aiming to prevent procedural delays before the law is passed. Olowoyo noted that approving a wage award urgently would “enable public servants to consolidate their loyalty, commitment and productivity within the public service ecosystem.”
The JNPSNC, which previously outlined its demands, including a future minimum wage benchmark of no less than ₦500,000, in a 21 September letter to the President, confirmed that public servants across the country have already been mobilised.
The council represents eight public sector bodies, comprising the Nigerian Civil Service Union; Medical and Health Workers Union; Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria; National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives; Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees; Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers; National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers; and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees.