The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have unveiled a renegotiated agreement designed to resolve long-standing disputes that have plagued Nigeria’s tertiary education system, Dip Connect Online News reports.
The 2025 agreement marks the conclusion of a renegotiation process that began in 2017 to review the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU agreement, which was originally scheduled for revision in 2012. Several earlier committees set up by past administrations and chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin and Nimi Briggs were unable to produce a final, binding agreement.
The breakthrough was achieved under the current administration, which inaugurated a renegotiation committee led by Yayale Ahmed in October 2024. About 14 months later, both parties reached a consensus centred on improved conditions of service, sustainable funding, university autonomy, academic freedom and broader reforms aimed at reversing sectoral decay, addressing brain drain and repositioning universities for national development.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Abuja on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the agreement reflects the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to uninterrupted academic calendars and improved welfare for university lecturers.
According to Alausa, the deal goes beyond a formal document and represents “renewed trust, restored confidence, and a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.”
He credited President Tinubu with personally driving the process, noting that, for the first time, a sitting President took full ownership of the persistent challenges facing the university system and gave them the leadership attention they deserved.
The minister said decades of unresolved remuneration and welfare issues had fuelled recurring industrial actions that disrupted academic calendars and threatened students’ futures. He stressed, however, that the current administration chose “dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric.”
Highlighting key provisions of the agreement, Alausa announced that the remuneration package for academic staff in federal tertiary institutions would be reviewed with effect from January 1, 2026. He disclosed that university lecturers’ emoluments would be increased by 40 per cent to boost morale, improve service delivery and curb brain drain.
Under the new framework, academic salaries will consist of the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary and a Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance. The minister explained that the 40 per cent increase would be delivered through the academic tools allowance, covering expenses such as journal publications, conference attendance, internet access, learned society membership and book allowances.
He also revealed that nine earned academic allowances had been restructured to promote transparency and fairness, and would now be strictly linked to duties performed, including postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical responsibilities, examinations and leadership roles.
A major feature of the agreement is the introduction of a new Professorial Cadre Allowance for senior academics. Alausa said the Federal Government had, for the first time, approved a dedicated allowance for full-time Professors and Readers.
Under the arrangement, Professors will earn ₦1.74 million annually, equivalent to ₦140,000 per month, while Readers will receive ₦840,000 per annum, or ₦70,000 monthly. He described the measure as “structural, practical and transformative.”
“With the total support, direction and guidance of Mr President, we confronted what many described as an intractable problem and resolved it decisively, now and into the future,” the minister said.
He added that the agreement ushers in a new era of stability, dignity and excellence in Nigerian universities, restoring confidence among lecturers and ensuring predictability in academic calendars.
Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the faithful implementation of the agreement under the Renewed Hope Agenda and commended members of both the government and ASUU renegotiation teams for resolving what he called a two-decade-old challenge.
“History will remember today not just as an unveiling ceremony, but as the day Nigeria chose dialogue, transparency, fiscal realism and strong presidential commitment as the path to resolving long-standing governance challenges and achieving sustained progress,” he said.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
