Public-sector unions in Nigeria have begun strike action demanding a sharp reduction in petrol prices and a much higher national minimum wage as households struggle with the country’s cost-of-living crisis. The unions want petrol reduced to ₦500 per liter from prices that can reach roughly ₦2,500 and are calling for a ₦500,000 monthly minimum wage, compared with the current ₦70,000 floor. The demands connect two pressures that have moved together since Nigeria removed fuel subsidies: transportation and household costs have climbed while wages have struggled to keep pace. For an oil-producing country, that creates a particularly sharp contradiction — Nigeria exports crude but many households remain exposed to expensive refined fuel and the inflation that follows it. The Rio Times reports on the unions’ demands and the October strike action here.