Public servants across Nigeria’s federal, state and local governments have begun a three-day warning strike over demands for lower petrol prices, wage relief and negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The industrial action, organised under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), began at midnight on Friday, October 2, and is scheduled to end on Sunday, October 4, 2026.
In a circular dated October 1 and signed by JNPSNC National Secretary Olowoyo Gbenga, the council directed its affiliated unions and state structures to mobilise workers for the strike. The council said the action followed what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to address demands submitted to President Bola Tinubu in a September 21 letter.
Among the workers’ demands is a reduction of petrol prices to N500 per litre. The unions are also seeking an immediate wage award and the commencement of negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of 2027.
The council had issued a September 30 deadline for the government to address its concerns. It subsequently confirmed that the warning strike would proceed after the deadline passed without the response the unions were seeking. The JNPSNC said the strike covers employees in the federal, state and local government services, including workers in ministries, departments and agencies.
Furthermore, the council attributed its action to what it described as worsening economic and mental hardship affecting workers, their dependants and other Nigerians. It urged its affiliate unions to ensure compliance with the directive nationwide.
The warning strike follows months of labour pressure over the rising cost of living and the impact of petrol prices on workers’ incomes and household expenses.
