Civil servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union Side, have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently bring down the price of petrol to N500 per litre to cushion the impact of the worsening economic hardship on workers and their dependants.
The council also demanded the immediate payment of a fresh Wage Award and upward review of salaries and allowances for public servants across the Federal, State and Local Government levels.
In a letter to President Tinubu, signed by the National Secretary of the JNPSNC, Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga, the workers said the latest increase in petrol prices, which they put at N1,430 per litre and above in some locations, had further worsened the economic difficulties confronting workers and millions of Nigerians.
The council said the continuous increase in fuel prices since the removal of petrol subsidy had triggered a chain of increases in transportation, food, housing, healthcare, education and other essential expenses.
It therefore called on the Federal Government to introduce what it described as a “fuel intervention fund” to stabilise the price of petrol and make it affordable to ordinary Nigerians.
The workers said the government should not be deterred by the word “subsidy” if an intervention capable of reducing the hardship faced by citizens could be achieved.
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👉 JOIN WHATSAPP CHANNEL“The Federal Government should provide intervention that will trickle down to all Nigerians by making fuel available with affordable amount as low as N500, at the amount the fuel was being sold when subsidy was first removed in the year 2023,” the council stated.
It argued that stabilising petrol prices would have a wider effect on the economy because of the fuel’s direct connection with transportation, food distribution, production and other economic activities.
According to the council, “the current hardship being faced by the hapless Nigerian workers is caused by the astronomical increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to as much as N1,430.00, or more per one litre.”
It urged the Federal Government to provide an intervention fund for stakeholders in the oil sector to stabilise the price at an affordable benchmark.
The JNPSNC also endorsed the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on measures to shield Nigerians from international oil-market shocks.
It specifically backed the NLC’s call for the government to sell sufficient crude oil in naira to local refineries and expand national petroleum storage capacity.
Quoting the NLC, the council said: “As part of the process of creating this buffer government should sell sufficient crude in Naira to our local refineries; expand our national storage capacity in pursuance of meeting energy emergencies and security.”
It said such measures would create jobs, generate economic value and contribute to addressing security challenges.
Wage Award, Salary Review
Beyond the demand for cheaper petrol, the civil servants asked President Tinubu to approve an immediate Wage Award and upward review of salaries and allowances for public servants.
The council said the intervention was necessary to restore workers’ purchasing power, improve productivity and sustain industrial peace.
It argued that the rising cost of living had significantly eroded the real value of workers’ salaries, leaving many public servants struggling to meet basic financial obligations.
“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 council consequently urged the President to direct the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to commence immediate discussions with the NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC), JNPSNC and other relevant stakeholders on the proposed Wage Award and salary review.
It said the Wage Award should be introduced immediately as an urgent intervention pending the substantive review of the National Minimum Wage.
N500,000 Minimum Salary
The JNPSNC further called for the immediate constitution of a committee to commence negotiations for the 2027 National Minimum Wage.
It proposed a minimum monthly salary of N500,000 for an officer on Grade Level 01 Step 1, describing the proposed figure as necessary to reflect prevailing economic realities.
“Most importantly, Mr. President should set up appropriate committee to discuss 2027 new National minimum wage salary templates such that the Minimum Salary payable to an officer on Grade Level 01 step 1 shall be N500,000 per month for Public Servants,” the council stated.
The workers said negotiations should commence early enough to ensure that the new wage takes effect from January 2027, warning that delayed negotiations had historically resulted in delays in implementation.
“There is urgent need to immediately set up committee for the negotiation of New National Minimum Wage to accelerate the commencement of the New National Minimum Wage before 2027 so that it can take effect from January, 2027,” it said.
The council also demanded harmonised wages across Ministries, Departments and Agencies, while urging states and local governments to adopt similar measures.
It proposed periodic cost-of-living adjustments to salaries and allowances, arguing that wages should be reviewed regularly in line with inflation to prevent workers’ purchasing power from being eroded between wage-review cycles.
The council further called for subsidised transportation systems and affordable housing for public servants as part of broader welfare measures.
Reject Food Palliatives
The JNPSNC also rejected reliance on distribution of food items as the principal response to the economic hardship, arguing that such measures were neither sustainable nor accessible to the majority of Nigerians.
“It has dawned on the Nigerian workers that provision of palliatives such as bags of rice, indomie, vegetable oil, garri among other edible foods are as good as weaponising Nigerians with poverty because it is a Pyrrhic intervention which is unsustainable, inaccessible to majority of Nigerians population and also limited to political cronies,” it stated.
Rather, the council urged government to adopt interventions that would benefit workers and other Nigerians through lower transportation and production costs.
It said improving workers’ welfare was not only an economic issue but also necessary for effective public service delivery.
“A timely upward review of Public Servants Salaries and Allowances are not merely an economic imperative but a social necessity to ensure the sustenance of the workforce, maintain industrial harmony, and improve the efficiency of public service delivery and ecosystem,” the council stated.
Workers give Sept 30 deadline
The JNPSNC urged President Tinubu to act on its demands on or before September 30, 2026, saying urgent action was required to prevent further escalation of tension among workers.
“Your Excellency, we trust that this request will receive the prompt attention and action it deserves in the interest of Nigerian workers and their dependants, the Public Service as an age long institution and the nation at large on or before Wednesday 30th September, 2026 to douse the palpable tension that may erupt,” it stated.
The council also expressed expectations that the President would address the concerns of workers in his Independence Day broadcast.
“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,” it said.
The council maintained that public servants remained central to the functioning of government and national development, stressing that their welfare should be treated as a priority amid the prevailing economic pressures.
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