The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has urged the Federal Government to urgently review the N70,000 national minimum wage amid rising living costs.
NASU President, Mr Makolo Hassan, made the call at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said rising petrol prices and the cost of food, transportation, housing, electricity, and healthcare had rendered the minimum wage inadequate.
“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.
“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,” he said.
Hassan called for periodic wage reviews and cost-of-living adjustments to prevent inflation from eroding workers’ earnings.
He cited food inflation rate of 19.57 per cent in July 2026 and called for increased support for farmers, improved security in farming communities and investment in food production and transportation.
He also demanded affordable electricity, improved public transportation and accessible housing schemes to ease workers’ financial burden.
The NASU president called for secure jobs, an end to casualisation, prompt payment of outstanding entitlements and respect for trade union rights.
He said collective bargaining, freedom of association and the right to assemble were fundamental workers’ rights that employers should respect.
Hassan also highlighted the signing of the 2026 Federal Government/NASU agreements covering universities and inter-university centres, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
He said the university agreement was signed on June 29, 2026, while those covering polytechnics and colleges of education were signed on Sept. 3, 2026.
He expressed hope that implementation of the agreements would improve workers conditions of service and general welfare.
