The Nigerian Government has unveiled a renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), with a 40 percent salaries increase as a key point.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, at the presentation of the agreement in Abuja, described the development as a turning point in restoring stability, trust, and quality in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
According to him, a key provision of the agreement was the review of the remuneration package of academic staff in federal tertiary institutions, as approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, with effect from Jan. 1, 2026.
He said the emoluments had been reviewed upward by 40 percent to improve morale, enhance service delivery, boost global competitiveness, and curb brain drain.
“The 40 per cent review is represented through a consolidated academic tools allowance, which is peculiar to university academic staff and forms part of the salary structure.
“The consolidated academic tools allowance would cover journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book allowances, which are essential for effective teaching, research and global academic competitiveness,” the minister said.
According to him, the agreement, the nine (9) categories of the Academic Staff Earned Allowance had been clearly defined, structured, made transparent, and tied strictly to duties performed to promote productivity, accountability, and fairness.
Proffessional Cadre Allowance
The minister also announced the introduction of a new professorial cadre allowance, which applies strictly to full-time professors and academic readers in universities, in recognition of their heavy scholarly, administrative, and research responsibilities.
“Under the new structure, professors would receive an additional N1.8 million per annum, amounting to about N140,000 monthly, while academic readers would receive N840,000 per annum, or N70,000 monthly.
“The allowance was designed to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, and administrative efficiency, enabling senior academics to focus more on teaching, mentorship, innovation, and knowledge production,” he said.
He said the agreement reflected the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to accessible, quality, and uninterrupted academic calendars.
Dr. Alausa explained that the President took personal ownership of resolving long-standing disputes that had affected the university system for decades.
”For decades, unresolved remuneration concerns, welfare gaps, and recurring industrial disputes disrupted academic calendars, undermined staff morale, and threatened the future of our young people.
”Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, we deliberately chose dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric,” he said.
He commended the Ahmed Yayale-led federal government negotiations committee and ASUU for using reality on the ground as their guideline during the renegotiations.
“We have resolved two decades of quagmire. May it strengthen the institutions and the future of Nigeria,” he said.
Rebuilding Trust
The Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, said the development was a resolve to strengthen Nigerian universities and also a way of building trust between the state, parents, and the Nigerian child.
“It is a phase of trust building and contribution to industrial harmony as academic calendars in universities will now become more predictable. We have removed the era of confrontation and replaced it with collaboration, giving way for meaningful dialogue,” she said.
The President of ASUU, Professor Chris Pinuwa, recalled that the journey of the Union’s demands took a solid foundation in the 2009 agreement, which was supposed to be fully implemented and renegotiated in 2012 but experienced delays and, in some cases, non-implementation.
Pinuwa said that the 2025 agreement was the outcome of a renegotiation process initiated in 2017 to revitalise Nigeria’s university system.
According to him, several renegotiation committees were constituted between 2017 and 2022 under successive administrations, including those chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin, and Nimi Briggs, but none produced a collective bargaining agreement.
He said the current administration inaugurated a new renegotiation committee chaired by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed in October 2024, noting that an agreement was reached about 14 months later.
He said the agreement focused on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, and academic freedom, as well as other systemic reforms aimed at reversing decay, curbing brain drain, and repositioning universities for national development.
He commended Ahmed and members of the renegotiation team, Dr. Alausa, and President Bola Tinubu for their commitment to concluding the renegotiation process.