Nigerian workers are marking the country’s 66th Independence anniversary with a three-day warning strike, as public sector unions protest worsening economic hardship and the Federal Government’s failure to address their demands.
The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) directed federal, state and local government employees nationwide to commence the industrial action from midnight Friday, October 2, to Sunday, October 4, 2026, ordering its affiliates to ensure total compliance.
The action affects workers in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) at the federal and state levels, as well as employees of local governments.
The warning strike followed the failure of the Federal Government to respond to demands contained in a September 21, 2026 letter addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly measures proposed to ease the economic burden on workers and vulnerable Nigerians.
Among the demands is a reduction of the pump price of petrol to N500 per litre, payment of a wage award and other measures to cushion the impact of the rising cost of living.
The JNPSNC had on September 29 warned that it would embark on the three-day warning strike if President Tinubu failed to address the demands in his Independence Anniversary broadcast on October 1.
However, the unions expressed disappointment that the President’s address did not include the requested reduction in petrol prices, which currently range between about N1,400 and N2,000 per litre depending on location, or immediate measures specifically addressing the socioeconomic hardship they highlighted.
The strike directive was contained in a circular dated October 1, 2026, signed by the JNPSNC National Secretary (Trade Union side), Olowoyo Gbenga, and addressed to national presidents and general secretaries as well as state chairmen and secretaries of the council’s affiliate unions.
The circular, titled “Declaration of Three (3) Day Warning Strike; Action with Immediate Effect,” directed public servants at all levels of government to participate in the action.
The council said the decision was driven by what it described as unbearable economic and mental hardship confronting workers, their dependants and other vulnerable Nigerians.
“The economic and mental hardships are becoming unbearable and frustrating,” the council stated, urging its affiliates to immediately mobilise workers for the industrial action.
It further directed all public servants in the federal, state and local government services to join the strike, arguing that “an injury to one is an injury to all.”
The JNPSNC comprises the Nigerian Civil Service Union (NCSU), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (M&HWUN), Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), and National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), among others.
Other affiliates include the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Employees (AUPCTRE), Nigeria Union of Public Service, Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW), National Union of Printing, Publishing and Paper Products Workers (NUPPPPROW), and National Union of Agriculture and Allied Employees (NUAEE).
The council directed its affiliate unions to disseminate the strike notice and mobilise their members for the action, setting the stage for a fresh labour dispute over the economic pressures confronting public-sector workers and households.
