Civil servants urge Tinubu to cut petrol price to N500 and approve higher wage

Civil servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union Side, have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in Nigeria’s worsening economic crisis.In a letter to the President, the workers demanded that the Federal Government stabilize the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at N500 per litre, introduce an immediate Wage Award, and begin negotiations for a new National Minimum Wage ahead of January 2027.The council warned that the current pump price of N1,430 per litre has triggered unbearable hardship, eroded workers’ purchasing power, and fueled tension nationwide. They argued that food palliatives were unsustainable, describing them as “weaponising Nigerians with poverty.”Instead, the workers proposed a fuel intervention fund to reduce costs and ease inflationary pressures. They also endorsed the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) position that government should sell crude in naira to local refineries, expand storage capacity, and subsidize citizens’ needs during emergencies.On wages, the JNPSNC demanded that the minimum salary for entry-level officers be set at N500,000 per month under the 2027 template, alongside harmonized pay across ministries, inflation-linked adjustments, and welfare measures such as subsidized transport and housing.The council gave the government until September 30, 2026 to act, urging Tinubu to address workers’ concerns in his Independence Day broadcast.

Civil servants under the aegis of the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, Trade Union Side, have written to President Bola Tinubu, seeking an immediate intervention to tackle the worsening economic hardship facing workers. In a letter addressed to the President, the workers urged the Federal Government to stabilise the price of petrol at […] ‘N500/litre fuel or N500,000 minimum wage’ – Workers write Tinubu, make fresh demands