FG, ASUU Reach Fresh Agreement to Stabilise Tertiary Education

• University academic staff get 40% pay rise

•SSANU, NASU hail deal, urge govt to fast-track action on pending renegotiation

Onyebuchi Ezigbo and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The federal government has unveiled a renegotiated agreement with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), describing it as a turning point in the effort to restore stability, trust, and quality in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

The new deal yesterday received commendations from Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU).

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, at the presentation of the agreement in Abuja, yesterday, said it reflected the commitment of President Bola Tinubu to accessible, quality and uninterrupted academic calendars.

Alausa said Tinubu took personal ownership for resolving long-standing disputes that had affected the university system for decades.

He explained that under the new structure, 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.

“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.

He explained that a key provision of the agreement was the review of the remuneration package of academic staff in federal tertiary institutions, as approved by National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, with effect from Jan. 1, 2026.

Alausa said the emoluments of university academic staff had been reviewed upward by 40 per cent to improve morale, enhance service delivery, boost global competitiveness and curb brain drain.

According to him, the 40 per cent review was represented through a consolidated academic tools allowance, which is peculiar to university academic staff and forms part of the salary structure.

The minister said the consolidated academic tools allowance would cover journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book allowances. He said this was essential for effective teaching, research, and global academic competitiveness.

Alausa added that nine hitherto earned academic allowances had been clearly structured, made transparent, and tied strictly to duties performed to promote productivity, accountability and fairness.

He also announced the introduction of a new professorial credit allowance, describing it 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 universities, in recognition of their heavy scholarly, administrative, and research responsibilities.

The minister said the allowance was designed to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, and administrative efficiency, enabling senior academics to focus more on teaching, mentorship, innovation and knowledge production.

He stated that the government had already commenced implementation of the agreement, saying a circular directing the full implementation of the wages component has been issued by National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

He said the circular, dated December 30, 2025, was released to ensure the agreement took effect from January 1, 2026, in line with the government’s commitment.

ASUU President, Professor Chris Pinuwa, recalled that the 2009 agreement, which was due for renegotiation in 2012, experienced prolonged delay.

Pinuwa said the 2025 agreement was the outcome of a renegotiation process initiated in 2017 to revitalise Nigeria’s university system.

According to him, several renegotiation committees were constituted between 2017 and 2022 under successive administrations, including those chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin, and Nimi Briggs, but none produced a collective bargaining agreement.

Pinuwa said the current administration inaugurated a new renegotiation committee chaired by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed in October 2024, and an agreement was reached about 14 months later.

He stated that the agreement focused on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy and academic freedom, as well as other systemic reforms aimed at reversing decay, curbing brain drain and repositioning universities for national development.

Pinuwa commended Ahmed and members of the renegotiation team, Alausa, and Tinubu for their commitment to concluding the renegotiation process.

While expressing satisfaction with the successful collective bargaining process, Pinuwa said there were still unresolved issues affecting the university system, particularly persistent government interference in university autonomy.

He stated, “As we are here with joy for a successful collective bargaining between ASUU and the federal government, we need to note that there are still pending issues, which are more internal.

“This issue is dragging the progress and survival of the university system: the government’s persistent encroachment into the autonomy of the universities.

“University autonomy is universally recognised as a cornerstone of a functional higher education system.

“In Nigeria, although university autonomy is recognised in principle and partially entrenched in law, its practical implementation remains weak.”

SSANU, NASU Hail Deal with ASUU, Urge Fast-tracking of Ongoing Negotiation

SSANU and NASU commended the federal government for reaching a new deal with ASUU.

The two university-based unions, however, called on the federal government to expedite action on the pending renegotiation with them.

They warned that any further delay after the signing of the agreement with ASUU would be tantamount to a clear invitation to chaos and the distortion of industrial peace.

In a statement jointly signed by the president of Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU, Mohammed Haruna Ibrahim and General Secretary of NASU, Peters Adeyemi, the unions described the federal government’s agreement with ASUU as a milestone after a series of failed negotiations.

The unions said, in a statement,”JAC of SSANU and NASU extends its felicitations to our sister Union ASUU, on the milestone achieved today, January 14, 2025, as it signs what appears to be an elusive agreement with the federal government for improved working conditions for its members.

“JAC of NASU and SSANU remains committed to the entrenchment of industrial harmony and sustainable communities in our universities, and calls on the federal government to ensure expedited action in the ongoing renegotiation with NASU and SSANU, as any further delay after the signing of today’s agreement with our sister Union would be tantamount to a clear invitation to chaos, and the distortion of industrial peace which we have continued to maintain despite government’s continued insensitivity to the university system and the gruesome conditions under which our members are made to work.”

SSANU and NASU stated further that the timely conclusion of the ongoing renegotiation with NASU and SSANU would avert the breakdown of industrial peace and harmony in the system.

“We hereby advise the federal government not to stir the hornet’s nest through any form of delay tactics,” they said.