FG approves 40% pay rise for lecturers, N1.7m extra for professors annually

The Federal Government has approved a 40 per cent pay increase for university lecturers, alongside an additional N1.7 million annual allowance for professors, following the signing of a new agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), a move expected to end years of industrial unrest and stabilise Nigeria’s tertiary education system.

The agreement, unveiled yesterday by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, introduces a comprehensive review of academic staff pay and allowances. It was approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) and is scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026.

It would be recalled that Daily Trust had reported last year that the federal government had proposed the 40% upward review of academic salaries, an offer that moved the union closer to accepting terms it had previously described as inadequate.

The latest pact comes after intermittent negotiations between the Federal Government and ASUU that date back to 2009, a period marked by repeated strikes and disruptions to academic calendars.

At the centre of the agreement is a 40 per cent upward review of the emoluments of university academics in federal tertiary institutions. According to Dr Alausa, the increase is aimed at boosting morale, improving service delivery, enhancing global competitiveness, and curbing the persistent brain drain affecting Nigerian universities.

Under the revised framework, lecturers’ remuneration will be structured around the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) and a newly consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA). The government explained that the bulk of the 40 per cent increase will be implemented through CATA, which is exclusive to university academic staff.

The Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance is designed to cover essential professional expenses, including journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society memberships, and book allowances. These provisions, the government noted, are critical to effective teaching, research output, and international academic engagement.

The agreement also introduces a major overhaul of Earned Academic Allowances, with the nine categories now clearly defined, transparently earned, and strictly linked to specific duties performed. These include enhanced allowances for postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, moderation, examination responsibilities, and leadership roles within the university system.

Another significant feature of the agreement is the introduction of a dedicated Professorial Cadre Allowance, approved for the first time by the Federal Government. The allowance applies strictly to full-time Professors and Readers, in recognition of their expanded scholarly, administrative, and research responsibilities.

Under the new structure, Professors will receive N1.74 million per annum, equivalent to N140,000 monthly, while Readers will earn N840,000 per annum, or N70,000 monthly. The allowance is intended to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, and administrative efficiency.

Describing the intervention as “structural, practical, and transformative,” Dr Alausa said it would enable senior academics to focus more effectively on teaching, mentorship, innovation, and global knowledge production.

In the same vein, the president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, described the newly signed agreement as a significant step towards rescuing Nigeria’s ailing university system, while warning that deep-seated structural challenges still threaten its sustainability.

He expressed regret that the agreement brings to an end a struggle that ought to have been concluded more than a decade ago.

Piwuna recounted the long and arduous path to the agreement, noting that several renegotiation committees set up at different times failed to produce a collective bargaining agreement. These included committees chaired by Wale Babalakin in 2017, Munzali Jibrin in 2021, and Nimi Briggs in 2022.

According to him, meaningful progress only began after the current administration inaugurated a renegotiation committee led by Yayale Ahmed in October 2024.

The 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement was initially scheduled for renegotiation in 2012, three years after it was signed. However, the process stalled for several years due to what ASUU described as a lack of sincerity on the part of successive governments. Consequently, the 2025 Renegotiated Agreement represents the culmination of a renegotiation process that formally commenced in 2017, aimed at reviewing the 2009 agreement and revitalising Nigeria’s university system.

The prolonged struggle for renegotiation led to the inauguration of the Wale Babalakin-led committee in 2017 under the Buhari administration, followed by the Munzali Jibrin committee in 2021 and the Nimi Briggs committee in 2022. Despite sustained engagements between 2017 and 2022, none of these efforts yielded a collective bargaining agreement.

Progress was eventually recorded under the administration of President Bola Tinubu, following the inauguration of the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee in October 2024, which ultimately produced the agreement that was signed.

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