The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has called on the Federal Government to urgently review the ₦70,000 national minimum wage, saying rising living costs have eroded workers’ purchasing power.
Makolo Hassan, NASU president, made the call at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
Hassan said rising petrol prices and the cost of food, transportation, housing, electricity and healthcare had made the current minimum wage inadequate to meet workers’ basic needs.
“NASU, therefore, calls on the Federal Government to immediately set in motion the necessary machinery for an urgent review of the National Minimum Wage, in line with the prevailing economic realities and the escalating cost of living in Nigeria,” he said.
He said Nigerian workers deserved wages that could guarantee decent living conditions rather than pay that left them struggling to meet essential expenses.
“We maintain that Nigerian workers deserve not merely a minimum wage, but a wage that guarantees decent living conditions and preserves their purchasing power.
“A wage that cannot sustain a worker is neither fair nor decent, and the continued impoverishment of Nigerian workers must be addressed as a matter of utmost urgency,” Hassan said.
The NASU president called for periodic wage reviews and cost-of-living adjustments to prevent inflation from further reducing the value of workers’ earnings.
He cited a food inflation rate of 19.57 percent in July 2026, urging the government to strengthen support for farmers, improve security in farming communities and invest in food production and transportation.
Hassan also called for affordable electricity, improved public transportation and accessible housing schemes to reduce the financial pressure on workers.
Beyond wages, he demanded secure employment, an end to casualisation, prompt payment of outstanding entitlements and respect for trade union rights.
He said employers should uphold collective bargaining, freedom of association and the right of workers to assemble.
The union president also highlighted the signing of the 2026 Federal Government-NASU agreements covering universities and inter-university centres, polytechnics and colleges of education.
According to him, the agreement covering universities and inter-university centres was signed on June 29, 2026, while those for polytechnics and colleges of education were signed on September 3, 2026.
Hassan expressed hope that implementing the agreements would improve workers’ conditions of service and general welfare.
