Nigerian civil servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, Trade Union Side, have written President Bola Tinubu, demanding urgent measures to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices and worsening cost-of-living pressures on workers and their families.
The workers are asking the Federal Government to stabilise the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at N500 per litre, approve an immediate wage award and review salaries and allowances across the public service.
They also demanded the immediate constitution of a committee to negotiate a new National Minimum Wage ahead of January 2027.
In a letter addressed to Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, the JNPSNC said the recent increase in petrol prices to about N1,430 per litre or higher in some locations had further eroded workers’ purchasing power and intensified economic hardship.
The council gave the Federal Government until Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to respond to its demands, warning that continued hardship was creating tension among workers and Nigerians.
According to the workers, the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 triggered sharp increases in petrol prices, with the effects spreading across transportation, food, housing and other essential services.
The council argued that food palliatives alone could not provide a sustainable solution to the economic crisis.
“It has dawned on Nigerian workers that the provision of palliatives such as bags of rice, Indomie, vegetable oil, garri, among other edible foods, is as good as weaponising Nigerians with poverty because it is a Pyrrhic intervention which is unsustainable,” the council said.
It urged the Federal Government to introduce a fuel intervention programme that would reduce the cost of petrol and benefit workers and other Nigerians through its wider economic effects.
“Consequent upon the above, it is preferable that the Federal Government should provide an intervention that will trickle down to all Nigerians by making fuel available at an affordable amount as low as N500,” the council stated.
The JNPSNC also called for the establishment of an intervention fund for stakeholders in the oil sector to help stabilise fuel prices and gradually bring the pump price down.
It said such a measure could be described differently if the government considered the term “fuel subsidy” inappropriate.
The council further endorsed proposals attributed to Nigeria Labour Congress President, Joe Ajaero, including the supply of sufficient crude oil in naira to local refineries and expansion of national petroleum storage capacity.
The workers said the measures would support local refining, create jobs and strengthen energy security.
On workers’ welfare, the council demanded an immediate Wage Award covering Federal, State and Local Government employees, alongside an upward review of salaries and allowances.
It said the Wage Award should serve as an urgent intervention pending the implementation of a new National Minimum Wage expected from January 2027.
The council also called for the immediate establishment of a committee to begin negotiations on the new minimum wage, stressing that early commencement was necessary to avoid delays.
Under its proposed 2027 salary structure, the JNPSNC requested that the minimum salary for an officer on Grade Level 01, Step 1 be N500,000 per month.
It further demanded harmonised wages across Ministries, Departments and Agencies, with similar reviews encouraged at the state and local government levels.
The workers also called for periodic salary and allowance reviews linked to inflation, as well as welfare measures such as subsidised transportation and affordable housing.
The council said public servants remained central to governance and national development, but rising inflation, fuel costs, transportation fares, food prices, housing, healthcare and education expenses had significantly reduced the value of their salaries.
“Many workers are now struggling to meet basic financial obligations, which has inevitably affected the morale, motivation, and overall productivity within the Public Service,” it stated.
The JNPSNC urged the President to direct the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to commence discussions with the NLC, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, JNPSNC and other relevant stakeholders on the proposed Wage Award and salary review.
The council appealed to Tinubu to act on the demands by September 30, saying urgent intervention was necessary to ease the tension among workers.
It also expressed hope that the President’s Independence Day broadcast would address the concerns raised by Nigerian workers.
“It is the high expectations of Nigerian workers and all patriotic Nigerians that your Independence Day broadcast will attend to our sincere suggestions in order to bring succour and life back to all dying Nigerians,” the council stated.
