Di Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and civil servants, under di Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council, JNPSNC, Trade Union Side, yesterday demand new minimum wage of N500,000 and reduction of petrol price to N500 per litre to solve di worsening economic hardship wey workers and their dependents dey face.

For one letter to President Bola Tinubu, di National Secretary of JNPSNC (Trade Union Side), Olowoyo Gbenga, talk say workers also dey demand make dem constitute committee immediately to negotiate new national minimum wage, before January 2027.

NLC describe dis one as realistic and legitimate. Di workers talk say di recent increase in fuel prices to N1,430 per litre and above for some places don worsen di cost-of-living crisis pass before.

Dem give government till Wednesday, September 30, 2026, to do something about their demands, dey warn say di hardship wey dey ground dey cause serious tension among workers and Nigerians.

Di JNPSNC, wey include Nigerian Civil Service Union; Medical and Health Workers Union; Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria; National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives; among others, talk say di removal of fuel subsidy three years ago cause fuel prices to shoot up well well, and dis one cause plenty plenty increase for di prices of essential commodities for di economy.

Oda unions for di council na 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.

Di council talk say di situation don make life dey unbearable for workers, and add say giving food palliatives no be solution wey go last for di economic crisis.

E talk say: "Nigerian workers don realize say di provision of palliatives, like bags of rice, Indomie, vegetable oil, garri, among oda edible foods, na like dem dey use poverty take fight Nigerians because na pyrrhic intervention wey no go last, wey majority of Nigeria population no go fit access, and wey dem limit to political cronies."

Di workers argue say intervention wey go last pass na to reduce fuel cost to N500 per litre, dey talk say dis measure go get multiplier effect for di economy.