The Federal Government has unveiled a renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) to improve the quality of Nigeria’s public university system.
The agreement was presented on Wednesday in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa.
The development comes after decades of unresolved remuneration disputes, welfare concerns and recurring industrial actions that have repeatedly disrupted academic activities across federal universities.
What they are saying
According to Alausa, President Tinubu took personal ownership of resolving long-standing disputes that have 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.
Alausa explained that a central provision of the agreement is the review of the remuneration package for academic staff in federal tertiary institutions, as approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, with effect from January 1, 2026.
He said university academic staff salaries had been increased by 40% to boost morale, performance, and global competitiveness. The increase is implemented through a consolidated academic tools allowance, unique to university staff and built into the salary structure. This allowance covers journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book allowances.
The minister added that nine previously earned academic allowances had now been clearly structured, made transparent and tied strictly to duties performed, in order to promote productivity, accountability and fairness within the system.
New professorial credit allowance
The agreement also introduces a new professorial credit allowance, which Alausa described as the first of its kind approved by the federal government.
According to him, the allowance applies strictly to full time professors and academic readers, in recognition of their heavy scholarly, administrative and research responsibilities.
He explained that 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.
Alausa said the allowance is designed to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence and administrative efficiency, allowing senior academics to focus more on teaching, mentorship, innovation and knowledge production.
The minister disclosed that implementation of the agreement has already commenced, noting that the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission had issued a circular directing the full implementation of the wages component. The agreement is effective from January 1, 2026, in line with the government’s commitment.
What you should know
The agreement represents the outcome of a renegotiation process that began in 2017, following delays in revisiting the 2009 agreement that was due for renegotiation in 2012.
According to ASUU, several committees were constituted between 2017 and 2022 under different 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, with an agreement reached about 14 months later.
The Union’s most recent major industrial action occurred in October 2025 when ASUU commenced a two‑week nationwide strike, marking its 18th strike in 26 years.
