NASU President Dr. Hassan Makolo has warned that Nigerian workers are suffocating under severe economic hardship.
He urged the government to implement a living wage and stabilize prices to ease citizens’ suffering.
Dr. Hassan Makolo, President of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), has warned that Nigerian workers are facing unbearable economic hardship due to rising inflation, fuel price hikes, and the sharp devaluation of the naira.
Speaking during the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, Dr. Makolo described the situation as dire, noting that millions of families are struggling to survive as the cost of essential goods and services continues to soar.
“Workers are suffocating under the high cost of living. The prices of food, transport, housing, and even healthcare are now beyond reach,” he said. “Our wages no longer reflect the realities of today’s economy. Inflation has wiped out the value of salaries, leaving many workers unable to meet basic needs.”
He added that the problem is worse for workers in some states who still receive incomplete or irregular salaries. Dr. Makolo urged the federal government to replace the existing minimum wage structure with a living wage system that would be reviewed periodically based on inflation and cost-of-living indicators.
According to him, Nigeria’s persistently high inflation rate, rising energy costs, and the weakened naira have severely eroded workers’ purchasing power. “As Organized Labour, we must intensify our collective advocacy for fair wage adjustments, stronger social protection policies, and accountability in economic management,” he said.
The NASU leader called on the government to adopt policies that stabilize prices, encourage local production, and improve infrastructure to ease the financial burden on citizens. He expressed concern over the growing unemployment and underemployment crisis, stressing that the informal sector now accounts for nearly 80 percent of the workforce, with most workers in unregulated and insecure conditions.
Makolo urged authorities to prioritize job creation through vocational training, support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and investment in labor-intensive industries.
On insecurity, he lamented that rising cases of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism continue to endanger lives and livelihoods. He called for a comprehensive national approach that strengthens intelligence, embraces technology, eliminates corruption in security spending, and tackles youth unemployment as part of long-term stability efforts.
