Labour gives FG two-week ultimatum to revert petrol price to 2024 level

— Says basic necessities now unaffordable for Nigerian workers
— Demands commencement of new minimum wage negotiations before end of October

Organised Labour has given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to revert the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly known as petrol, to its level before the signing of the current national minimum wage in 2024.

It said the measure would cushion the impact of the energy crisis on workers and the masses, as is being done in other countries.

Labour also demanded that the Federal Government commence the process of renegotiating a new national minimum wage before the end of October.

The demands were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a joint meeting of the National Executive Council, NEC, and the Central Working Committee, CWC, of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. The communiqué was signed by the NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

According to the communiqué: “The joint meeting issues a two-week ultimatum to the Federal Government, beginning from Friday, October 9, 2026, within which it is expected to, among other things:

“Take measures to reduce the price of petrol across the nation to what it was at the signing of the current national minimum wage in 2024, to cushion the impact of the energy crisis on workers and the masses, as is being done in other countries;

“Commence the process of renegotiating a new national minimum wage;

“Implement the dictates of the Terms of Settlement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals, JOHESU, on February 5, 2026, and address other demands that have arisen since then;
“Implement the demands of the Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council, JPSNC.

“Failure to do so will compel the NLC to take remedial steps as may be directed by the relevant organs.”

The communiqué explained that the joint meeting deliberated on the state of the nation, the existential threats facing Nigerian workers and the downtrodden masses, and the urgent tasks confronting the trade union movement in Nigeria.

After extensive discussions on the grave economic and political crises, as well as the survival challenges confronting workers and the nation at large, the NEC-in-session, in conjunction with the CWC, arrived at the following resolutions.

On the state of the nation and the existential crises confronting Nigerian workers and the masses, it said: “The joint meeting-in-session notes with profound alarm the deepening misery inflicted on the Nigerian working class and the broader masses by the neo-liberal policies of the Federal Government and its state institutions.

“Inflation continues to soar unabated, the naira remains traumatised, wages have been rendered worthless, and the cost of living has become unbearable.

“The ruling elite, acting as enforcers of global monopoly capital, have demonstrated a worrying indifference to the suffering of the people, choosing instead to transfer the burden of their fiscal negligence onto the already impoverished working masses, thereby abandoning the people to the dictates of comprador fat cats.

“NEC-in-session declares that no society can sustainably develop under a regime of corporate plunder and neo-liberal enslavement.

“The Nigerian working people must, therefore, remain resolute, organised and uncompromising in the collective struggle for a fair and equitable Nigeria.”

On the urgent need to commence the renegotiation of the national minimum wage, the communiqué stated: “The joint meeting observes with grave concern that the current national minimum wage has been rendered worthless by the relentless depreciation of the naira and the astronomical rise in the cost of living.

“Nigerian workers can no longer afford the basic necessities of life — food, shelter, healthcare, transportation and education — on their current wages.

“Consequently, NEC-in-session demands that the Federal Government commences the renegotiation of the national minimum wage before the end of this month.

“The Congress demands a living wage that reflects the true cost of living and the dignity of the Nigerian worker. Any further delay by the Federal Government remains unacceptable.”

The communiqué further stated that the meeting deliberated on the urgent need to reduce the price of petrol.

It said: “The joint meeting reiterates its call on the Federal Government to work with relevant agencies to immediately reduce the price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, commonly known as petrol.

“The exorbitant pump price of petrol has had a cascading effect on the cost of transportation, food and other essential goods, further deepening the hardship faced by workers and the masses.

“The government must abandon its insensitive policies that have allowed indiscriminate hikes in the prices of petroleum products, which have only served to enrich a handful of oil marketers while pauperising the masses.”

On tax relief and wage awards for workers, the joint meeting demanded that the Federal Government grant tax relief to workers as agreed and immediately provide wage awards to cushion the impact of the rising cost of living.

“These measures are the bare minimum required to alleviate the suffering of Nigerian workers and restore a measure of dignity to their lives.

“The government cannot continue to demand sacrifice from workers without offering any relief to the suffering masses and workers,” it stated.

The NEC-in-session reaffirmed the historical responsibility of the NLC to resist all forms of exploitation and oppression. It called on all affiliates and progressive allies to remain on high alert and fully prepared to engage in decisive action against all anti-people policies.

“The Congress reiterates that Nigerian working people must remain resolute, organised and uncompromising in the collective struggle for a fair and equitable Nigeria,” it concluded.