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The Nigerian Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have announced a renegotiated agreement to resolve long-standing disputes in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
Speaking at the unveiling in Abuja on Wednesday, Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa described the deal as a renewed commitment by the President Bola Tinubu administration to uninterrupted academic calendars and improved welfare for university lecturers.
He said the agreement went beyond a formal document, representing “renewed trust, restored confidence, and a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system.”
Alausa credited President Tinubu for personally driving the process, noting that it was the first time a sitting president had taken full ownership of the long-standing challenges confronting Nigeria’s universities.
He said decades of unresolved remuneration issues and welfare gaps had triggered recurring strikes that disrupted academic calendars, but stressed that the current administration chose dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric.
The minister outlined key provisions of the agreement, revealing that the remuneration package for academic staff in federal tertiary institutions would be reviewed from January 1, 2026.
He added that nine earned academic allowances had been restructured to ensure transparency and fairness, with payments tied to duties performed, including postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, examinations, and leadership responsibilities.
A major highlight of the agreement is the introduction of a new Professorial Cadre Allowance for senior academics. Alausa said the government had approved the allowance for the first time, applying strictly to full-time Professors and Readers, with Professors set to receive ₦1.74 million annually and Readers ₦840,000. He described the intervention as structural, practical, and transformative.
Alausa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to faithful implementation of the agreement under the Renewed Hope Agenda and thanked members of both the government and ASUU negotiation teams for resolving what he described as a two-decade-old quagmire.
