Nigerian public service workers have formally declared a three-day warning strike starting Friday, October 2, citing escalating economic distress and the deteriorating welfare of workers and their families.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) issued a directive to its national and state leadership to mobilize public servants across all tiers of government for the industrial action, which is scheduled to run from midnight on Friday through Sunday, October 4, 2026.
According to a circular dated October 1 and signed by the JNPSNC National Secretary, Gbenga Olowoyo, the strike follows the Federal Government’s failure to respond to a formal list of demands submitted to President Bola Tinubu on September 21. The council had set a September 30 deadline for the government to address these grievances, warning that inaction would trigger the strike.
“The strike shall start with effect from midnight of Friday, 2nd October, 2026, to Sunday, October 4th, 2026,” the circular stated.
The council emphasized that the decision was driven by “unbearable and frustrating” economic conditions. “All public servants in the services of Federal, State, and Local Governments are to join the warning strike because an injury to one is an injury to all. Workers, their dependants, and vulnerable Nigerians are groaning under the present economic hardship,” the council noted.
### Core Demands
The industrial action is centered on three primary demands presented to the Federal Government:
1. **Reduction in Petrol Prices:** The council is demanding a reduction in the price of fuel to N500 per litre. It noted that current prices, ranging from N1,450 to over N2,500 in some regions, have placed unsustainable pressure on the workforce.
2. **Immediate Wage Award:** The union is calling for an immediate financial relief package for workers to cushion the impact of the current inflation.
3. **New Minimum Wage Negotiations:** The council is urging the urgent formation of a tripartite committee to begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage ahead of the 2027 cycle, aiming to prevent future administrative delays.
In addition to these demands, the JNPSNC advised the government to provide intervention funds to stabilize landing costs and to ensure crude oil is supplied to the Dangote Refinery and modular refineries at favorable terms to boost domestic production.
The JNPSNC, an umbrella body representing eight public sector unions—including the Medical and Health Workers Union, the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, and the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives—has urged its leadership to ensure the strike notice is effectively disseminated to workers nationwide.
Despite anticipation that President Tinubu might address these concerns during his Independence Day speech, the council confirmed that the strike will proceed as planned, deeming the September 30 deadline “sacrosanct.”
