The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached a long-awaited agreement to end recurring disputes in Nigeria’s university system, approving a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers and introducing a new allowance for senior academics.
The 2025 agreement, unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday, resolves a 16-year deadlock over the renegotiation of the 2009 FG–ASUU agreement and is expected to usher in improved welfare, better funding and greater stability across federal universities.
Under the deal, academic staff salaries will rise by 40 per cent with effect from January 1, 2026. The new structure combines the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary with a Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, designed to support research, publications, conferences, internet access and other core academic activities.
A major highlight of the agreement is the introduction of a Professorial Cadre Allowance for the first time. Full-time professors will receive ₦1.74 million annually, amounting to over ₦140,000 monthly, while readers will earn ₦840,000 per year.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the agreement reflects President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to uninterrupted academic calendars and improved welfare for university lecturers.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Alausa said the government had secured the funding required to implement the salary increase, the new allowance and nine restructured Earned Academic Allowances.
“A professor will now receive a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000 through the new professorial cadre allowance. We also have the funding to support the 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers across our institutions,” he said.
According to the minister, the earned academic allowances have been redesigned to promote transparency by tying payments strictly to defined academic duties such as postgraduate supervision, clinical work, fieldwork, examinations and leadership responsibilities.
The renegotiation process, which began in 2017, stalled under previous administrations despite several committees. The breakthrough came under the current administration following the inauguration of a Yayale Ahmed-led committee in October 2024, which concluded its work about 14 months later.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, welcomed the agreement but warned that serious structural and governance challenges remain in the university system.
He cited government interference in university autonomy, weak accountability, poor research funding and declining academic standards as unresolved issues that could undermine the gains of the agreement.
Piwuna also raised concerns over alleged political interference in vice-chancellor appointments and the erosion of academic standards in some newly created federal universities.
While expressing cautious optimism, ASUU said it hoped the government would fully implement the agreement without the need for strike action, noting that past experiences had made the union wary.
The union urged sustained investment in education and broader economic reforms to ensure the long-term stability of Nigeria’s public universities.
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