The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding an immediate reduction in gas prices and the initiation of negotiations for a new minimum wage.
The directive was contained in a communiqué signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero following a joint meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) and Central Working Committee (CWC) on Thursday in Abuja.
During the meeting, the union evaluated the current socio-economic climate, citing severe financial hardship, escalating living costs, and what it described as existential threats confronting workers and the broader public.
Ajaero emphasized in the communiqué that the Federal Government should revert gas prices to the rates prevailing when the current national minimum wage was enacted in 2024.
“The joint meeting issues a two-week ultimatum to the federal government, beginning from Friday, Oct. 9, 2026,” the communiqué reads.
“Within this period, government is expected to take measures to reduce the price of petrol across the nation and commence the process of renegotiating a new national minimum wage.
“Failure of which the NLC will be compelled to take remedial steps as would be directed by the relevant organs.”
Ajaero maintained that severe naira depreciation and soaring living costs have eroded the purchasing power of the national minimum wage, leaving workers unable to afford basic necessities.
He urged the Federal Government to initiate fresh minimum wage negotiations by the end of October, demanding a living wage that reflects prevailing economic realities.
Additionally, the NLC president highlighted that high fuel prices have driven up transportation costs and pushed food and essential commodities beyond reach, exacerbating hardships nationwide.
Ajaero further called for the immediate implementation of the February 5, 2026 agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals (JOHESU).
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Backstory…
This follows the conclusion of a three-day warning strike by public sector workers organized under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC). The industrial action was staged to protest the Federal Government’s failure to reduce gasoline prices to ₦500 per liter and reopen negotiations for an updated national minimum wage.
The ₦70,000 National Minimum Wage Act was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on July 29, 2024.
At the time of its enactment, official data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated that the average pump price for gasoline nationwide stood at ₦770.54 per liter, while retail outlets operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) sold fuel at ₦580 per liter.
Meanwhile, this comes as Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) declared an indefinite strike in Abuja over unresolved disputes regarding teachers’ promotion and career progression.
Read Also: NLC Begins Indefinite Strike Over Unresolved Teachers’ Welfare Issues
