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The Nigerian government is set to formally sign an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Wednesday, January 14, following weeks of negotiations.
The move follows the government’s proposal last month to increase academic staff salaries by 40 per cent, a plan that the union has accepted.
A circular from the Ministry of Education invited vice-chancellors and registrars of federal universities to witness the signing ceremony at 11:00 a.m. at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall in Abuja.
The circular, signed by the Director of University Education, Rakiya Ilyasu, on behalf of the Minister, described the signing as a critical milestone for promoting industrial harmony and improving teaching and learning in universities.
The Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, confirmed the circular.
The circular also stated that the agreement would reaffirm the Nigerian government’s commitment to the sustainable development of education, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, and noted that attendance at the ceremony would be mandatory for all invited university administrators.
The deal, which ends a 16-year-long dispute stemming from the 2009 government-ASUU agreement, will take effect from January 1, 2026, and is set for review after three years.
Under the new terms, professors will receive a pension equivalent to their final annual salary upon retirement at age 70.
The agreement also provides for the establishment of a National Research Council funded with at least one per cent of Nigeria’s GDP to support research, along with increased funding for libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development.
The pact further guarantees greater university autonomy, ensures that only professors can serve as deans and provosts, and protects staff members involved in past industrial actions from victimisation.
