…asks FG to show benefits of reforms, questions debt burden amid rising cost of living
The Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) has demanded greater transparency and accountability in the management of funds saved from petrol subsidy reforms and the utilisation of borrowed funds, insisting that Nigerians must see tangible benefits from government policies.
The union said public resources should be deployed to improve workers’ welfare, strengthen public services and address the country’s pressing development challenges, rather than leave ordinary Nigerians bearing the burden of economic reforms without corresponding relief.
NASU President, Comrade (Dr.) Hassan Makolo, made the demands in his presidential welcome address at the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the NAF Officers and Suites, Abuja, on Tuesday.
Makolo said the government must provide clear accounts of revenues and savings arising from subsidy reforms and other fiscal measures, stressing that the sacrifices imposed on workers and households must translate into measurable social benefits.
“Our position as NASU is clear: public resources belong to the people, and they must be deployed for the welfare of the people, not for the comfort and privilege of a few political office holders,” he said.
He argued that government should be judged not merely by the economic policies it announces or the revenues it generates, but by the extent to which those policies improve the living conditions of citizens.
“Government must provide clear and verifiable accounts of revenues and savings arising from subsidy reforms and other fiscal measures, and Nigerians must see measurable social returns from the sacrifices they have been compelled to make,” the NASU president said.
The union’s intervention comes amid continuing concerns over the rising cost of living, particularly the impact of petrol prices on transportation, food, housing and the cost of doing business.
Makolo said every increase in fuel costs feeds into the prices of goods and services, placing additional pressure on workers whose earnings have struggled to keep pace with rising household expenses.
He maintained that the consequences of economic reforms should not be borne disproportionately by workers and low-income households, calling on the government to ensure that its policies provide meaningful protection for those most affected.
On public borrowing, the NASU president called on the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to subject the country’s borrowing decisions and rising debt-servicing obligations to closer scrutiny.
He questioned the purpose and development outcomes of government borrowing, arguing that expenditure on debt obligations must be assessed against the urgent needs of Nigerians.
“Every naira committed to servicing public debt is a naira that must be weighed against the urgent needs of our people, education, healthcare, workers’ wages, pensions, infrastructure and essential public services,” Makolo said.
He added that Nigerians deserved answers on the objectives of government borrowing and the benefits accruing from the funds.
“As the nation continues to carry a substantial public-debt stock, we are asking: what are we borrowing for, who benefits, and what measurable development is being achieved?” he said.
Makolo’s remarks highlight organised labour’s concerns about the relationship between government fiscal policies and the welfare of workers, particularly when public expenditure is constrained by debt-servicing commitments.
He said increased public revenues should also translate into improved welfare for workers across the states and local governments, including prompt payment of salaries and pensions, better schools and hospitals, improved roads and stronger social services.
“With increased revenues flowing to the States and Local Governments, workers have every right to demand accountability,” he said.
“Higher public revenues must be visible in better and timely salaries, improved schools and hospitals, good roads, clean water, decent infrastructure and stronger social services. Increased revenue without improved living conditions is not progress.”
The union also called for greater transparency in public spending, an end to wasteful expenditure and a reduction in excessive political privileges, arguing that workers should not be expected to make endless sacrifices while public resources are not managed prudently.
Makolo said economic reforms would command greater confidence among workers if they were accompanied by fairness, accountability and concrete measures to protect vulnerable households.
He also renewed NASU’s demand for an urgent review of the N70,000 national minimum wage, saying the rising cost of food, transportation, housing, electricity and healthcare had eroded workers’ purchasing power.
The union called for periodic wage reviews and cost-of-living adjustments to prevent inflation from continually diminishing the value of workers’ earnings.
It further demanded stronger social protection programmes for unemployed people, children, persons with disabilities, elderly citizens and poor households, insisting that such interventions should be transparent, adequately funded and accountable.
The NASU president maintained that economic progress should be measured by improvements in decent employment, wages, pensions, social protection and access to essential public services, rather than economic growth figures alone.
As the country approaches the 2027 political transition, he urged organised labour to place workers’ welfare, accountability, industrialisation and social protection at the centre of national political discourse.
He said political parties and candidates should be assessed by their commitments to improving living standards and ensuring that public resources deliver meaningful benefits to Nigerians.