The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has given the Federal Government a two-week ultimatum to reduce the price of petrol and begin negotiations for a new national minimum wage.
The ultimatum was contained in a communiqué signed by NLC President Joe Ajaero after a joint meeting of the union’s National Executive Council and Central Working Committee on Thursday in Abuja.
The NLC said the directive takes effect from Friday, October 9, 2026, warning that it would take further action if the government failed to meet its demands.
The union wants petrol prices reduced to the level prevailing when the current minimum wage was signed into law in 2024.
It also demanded that negotiations for a new minimum wage begin before the end of October, arguing that the N70,000 wage has been eroded by naira depreciation and rising living costs.
Ajaero said the high cost of petrol had increased transportation fares and pushed up the prices of food and other essential goods, worsening economic hardship.
The NLC also demanded the implementation of the February 5, 2026, agreement reached with the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals (JOHESU), as well as outstanding demands of the Joint Public Sector Negotiating Council.
The union further called for the implementation of agreed tax relief measures and immediate payment of outstanding wage awards to workers.
Ajaero urged NLC affiliates and workers to remain organised and prepared to respond if the government failed to meet the demands within the two-week deadline.
The ultimatum follows a three-day warning strike by public servants under the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council over demands for a reduction in petrol prices and fresh negotiations on the minimum wage.
President Bola Tinubu signed the N70,000 National Minimum Wage Act into law on July 29, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government is considering a N1,350 per litre ceiling on petrol landing or ex-gantry costs as part of measures to stabilise pump prices. Finance Minister Taiwo Oyedele disclosed this on Thursday.