Public Servants Demand N500 Fuel, N500k Minimum Wage from President Tinubu

The Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC), Trade Union Side, representing Nigerian civil servants, has issued a pressing appeal to President Bola Tinubu. Their demand centers on an urgent reduction in petrol prices to N500 per litre, a measure they believe is crucial to alleviate the severe economic strain currently afflicting workers and their families.

In an official correspondence sent to President Tinubu, bearing the signature of Comrade Olowoyo Gbenga, the council's National Secretary, the workers highlighted that recent hikes in petrol costs, which they noted have surged to N1,430 per litre or more in various parts of the country, have intensified the already challenging economic conditions faced by countless Nigerian employees. The JNPSNC explained that the consistent upward trend in fuel prices, a direct consequence of the removal of the petrol subsidy, has triggered a corresponding rise across several critical sectors, including transportation, food costs, housing, healthcare, education, and other fundamental necessities.

The council explicitly stated: “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.” This call for intervention was reiterated, emphasizing the need for accessible and affordable fuel. The council further posited that achieving stability in petrol prices would yield extensive positive impacts on the broader economy, attributing this to fuel's inherent links with critical areas such as transportation logistics, food supply chains, industrial production, and various other economic endeavors.

Blaming the current plight of Nigerian workers, the council asserted that “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.”

In addition to advocating for more affordable petrol, the civil servants also presented another key demand to President Tinubu: the immediate approval of a Wage Award, coupled with a significant upward review of existing salaries and allowances for all public service employees. The JNPSNC urged the government to promptly establish a dedicated committee tasked with initiating negotiations for the upcoming 2027 National Minimum Wage. They put forward a proposal for a monthly minimum salary of N500,000 for an officer at Grade Level 01 Step 1, justifying this figure as essential to accurately reflect the current economic conditions and cost of living.

The workers stressed the importance of beginning these negotiations sufficiently early to guarantee that the revised wage structure can be implemented starting January 2027. They issued a caution, reminding the government that past delays in wage discussions have consistently led to corresponding setbacks in their actual implementation.