Nigerian workers threaten warning strike over high petrol prices, minimum wage

Nigerian workers have threatened to embark on a three-day warning strike from Friday over the high cost of petrol and the federal government’s failure to review the national minimum wage.

The workers, under the umbrella of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), are demanding a reduction in petrol prices to at least ₦500 per litre and an increase in the minimum wage to cushion the effects of the rising cost of living.

The council’s National Secretary, Gbenga Olowoyo, said this in a statement on Tuesday.

Mr Olowoyo said the strike would commence on Friday, 2 October, if the government fails to address its demands by 30 September.

He said the council’s decision followed the government’s failure to honour its demands after an earlier ultimatum expired on 30 September.

He said the minimum wage, currently ₦70,000, should be reviewed upward to cushion the economic hardship experienced by public workers, their dependants, and other vulnerable Nigerians.

“The three critical issues requiring urgent attention are as follows: reduction of fuel price to ₦500 per litre. The federal government should take urgent steps to bring down the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to N500 per litre.

“The federal government should urgently approve a wage award for Nigerian workers to cushion the effects of the prevailing harsh economic conditions being experienced by workers, their dependants, and vulnerable Nigerians,” he said.

Mr Olowoyo urged President Bola Tinubu to address the workers’ demands in his national broadcast on Thursday, marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day.

He said that if the government fails to take steps to address the demands by 30 September, the workers will have no option but to embark on the warning strike.

“It is imperative to state clearly that the Independence Day address of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should adequately address these critical issues.

“Consequently, the council states that failure by the federal government to take the necessary steps to address these issues on or before 30th September 2026 will leave Nigerian workers with no option but to commence a three-day warning strike, with effect from Friday, 2 October 2026, to press home their demands.”

Council composition

The JNPSNC comprises eight public-sector unions, namely the Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU), the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives.

Others are the 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.

Strategy for reducing fuel price

Mr Olowoyo said the government could reduce petrol prices by ensuring the sale of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and operators of modular refineries on appropriate terms.

“It is equally important for the federal government to ensure the sale of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery and operators of modular refineries on appropriate terms to facilitate increased domestic refining and help bring down the price of petroleum products,” he said.

The council said the rising cost of petrol had contributed significantly to the economic hardship facing millions of households.

“The council maintains that the economic hardship occasioned by the high cost of fuel is placing the survival of Nigerian workers, their dependants and the general populace under severe pressure, making it increasingly difficult for Nigerians to live normal and dignified lives,” it said.

Rising petrol prices

The latest demand by the workers comes amid another increase in the prices of petrol. The prices have risen sharply since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 and announced the removal of the petrol subsidy.

READ ALSO:Nigerian workers threaten warning strike over high petrol prices, minimum wage

Before the subsidy was removed, petrol sold at about ₦195 per litre. The price rose sharply after the announcement, with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) initially increasing its pump prices to about ₦488–₦557 per litre in different parts of the country and subsequently to over ₦600 per litre.

Prices continued to rise as the government moved toward market-based pricing. In September 2024, NNPCL increased the price of petrol from about ₦617 to between ₦855 and ₦897 per litre, depending on location. It raised the prices again in October, with petrol selling for about ₦998 per litre in Lagos and ₦1,030 in Abuja.

The increases continued into 2025, although there were periods of price reductions. In June 2025, for instance, NNPCL raised its pump price in Abuja from ₦885 to ₦945 per litre and in Lagos from ₦870 to ₦915.

By 2026, petrol prices had risen further amid fluctuations in global crude oil prices and other market pressures. Recent checks in Abuja also showed petrol selling for around ₦1,395 to ₦1,450 at some filling stations, while other outlets were charging even more.

Some reports put prices at about ₦1,400 per litre in Lagos and Abuja and as high as ₦1,500 in parts of northern Nigeria.

The increase in petrol prices has had consequences beyond the cost of filling vehicles. Petrol is widely used for transportation and electricity generation, while businesses also rely on it to power generators and move goods and services.

As fuel becomes more expensive, transport operators face higher operating costs and often transfer part of the additional cost to passengers through higher fares. Higher transportation costs also raise the cost of moving food and other goods from farms, factories and markets to consumers.

The World Bank has linked the increase in gasoline prices following the subsidy removal to the cost-of-living pressures. It said the reform, alongside the depreciation of the naira, contributed to a rise in inflation, with headline inflation reaching 33.7 per cent in April 2024.

The World Bank also estimated that, without compensating measures, higher petrol prices could push about eight million additional Nigerians into poverty in the short term. Its analysis found that the fuel price increase reduces household purchasing power directly and indirectly through higher transportation and other costs.

More recently, the World Bank said that although Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators have improved, high inflation and weak real income growth continue to weigh on household welfare. It noted that poor households are particularly vulnerable because they spend a large share of their income on food.

For workers whose incomes have not kept pace with rising costs for transportation, food, electricity, and other essentials, rising petrol prices have become a major driver of the cost-of-living crisis.