Civil servants either did not go to their workplaces, or blocked the entrances to offices, in particular at the capital's airports Abuja and the economic center of Lagos. Aviation workers should not go to work "until further notice", their association said.
The Nigeria Labor Congress, which represents hundreds of thousands of civil servants in key sectors along with the Congress of Trade Unions, has said wages should be at a living wage, calling the current level of pay “paltry”.
Unions are demanding that the minimum wage a monthly salary of 30,000 naira ($20) was increased to almost 500,000 naira ($336). The government is proposing an increase of up to 60,000 naira ($40).
According to Information Minister Mohammed Idris, if the unions' demands are met, the state payroll will have to increase by 9.5 trillion ($6.3 billion), which could "destabilize the economy".
Since Nigerian President Bola Tinubu scrapped fuel subsidies last May, the price of gas in the country has more than doubled, driving up public transport fares and commodity prices.
The Tinubu government also devalued the naira to encourage foreign investment, leading to further increases in the prices of basic commodities.
Inflation in the country has reached a 28-year high.