After years of agitations, lecturers set for pay rise

The federal government’s proposed 40 per cent salary increase for university lecturers has set the stage for a major shift in the remuneration structure of Nigerian academics, marking what could be the most significant adjustment in over a decade.

For years, scholars teaching in public universities have lamented stagnant earnings, eroded purchasing power, and a salary framework that has failed to keep pace with escalating living costs.

As negotiations between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) near a conclusion, the relief of a new pay regime is becoming clearer.

Even before the current negotiation cycle began, the structure of lecturers’ salaries in Nigeria had become increasingly complex.

By 2025, most academic staff earnings consisted of a basic salary augmented by allowances for housing, transportation, research support and, in some cases, academic productivity.

Federal, state and private universities applied different versions of the same structure, but inflationary pressures had long undermined the value of these earnings.

Many lecturers also relied on supplementary income streams such as consultancy, external examination, seminar facilitation and part-time teaching to remain afloat.

It was against this backdrop that the Federal Government convened a fresh round of negotiations with ASUU, led by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Yayale Ahmed.

The talks, held in Abuja, resulted in the government proposing a 40 per cent increase in academic salaries, an offer that has now moved the union closer to accepting terms it had previously described as inadequate.

According to a document signed by ASUU President Chris Piwuna, the union is poised to accept the new salary proposal “barring any last-minute change.”

The document confirms that the federal government insisted on the revised salary structure after protracted negotiations, prompting ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) to reconsider its earlier stance.

The move followed NEC’s Sunday meeting, where branch leaders deliberated extensively on the consequences of rejecting the latest offer.

ASUU had issued the government a one-month ultimatum, which expired Saturday, intensifying anxiety across public universities and raising fears of another nationwide strike.

In a last-minute attempt to avert academic disruption in universities, the government summoned ASUU leadership to meetings that stretched from Monday into Tuesday.

The internal ASUU document explains that the union’s acceptance of the new salary structure stems partly from the government’s unwillingness to revise its offer and partly from the urgent need to prevent further stagnation in lecturer earnings.

The report said: “Government made several offers which were considered grossly inadequate and were accordingly rejected. After much push by our negotiators, a salary structure plus or minus the Nimi Briggs Committee’s recommendation was offered… NEC considered the offer and proposed that it was in our best interest to accept it, as continued rejection would result in stagnation of our earnings over a protracted period of negotiation.”

The new pay

The new salary structure marks a significant shift.

As of August 2025, academics earned salaries based on their ranks. Graduate Assistants on Grade Level 07 currently take home between N170,000 and N220,000 monthly—including allowances—with many relying on tutorial stipends and research support. With the 40 per cent increment now adopted, Graduate Assistants will earn between N238,000 and N308,000.

Lecturer II academics, who presently earn between N250,000 and N300,000 monthly, inclusive of allowances, will now see their earnings rise to N350,000–N420,000.

Lecturer I staff, currently earning N350,000 to N400,000, will move to a new band of N490,000–N560,000 following the adjustment.

Senior lecturers, whose current monthly pay ranges between N520,000 and N570,000, will now earn N728,000–N798,000.

Professors, the highest earners in the public university system, previously earned N850,000 to N950,000 monthly. With the revised structure, their take-home earnings now stand between N1,190,000 and N1,330,000.

Other agreements

The proposed adjustment is not limited to salaries alone. Both sides also reached agreements on key issues such as earned academic allowances, university autonomy, future policy reviews and sustainable funding mechanisms.

For instance, the government agreed to peg earned academic allowances at 12 per cent of each university’s total annual academic salary expenditure—an arrangement that mirrors the model already applied in some state-owned universities.

On university autonomy, both sides expressed commitment to protecting the independence of institutions.

The parties further agreed that a comprehensive review of the signed agreement will take place every three years, reflecting a shift away from the open-ended negotiations that have historically prolonged disputes.

Another major element of the negotiations concerns long-term funding for tertiary education.

“It was agreed that the FGN and ASUU would sponsor Bills on new and innovative forms of taxes to guarantee sustainable funding of education. It was further agreed that the FGN will issue executive orders towards achieving the same purpose,” the report said.

On the issue of lecturer welfare and protection in future policy shifts, both parties agreed that “whenever there is a general increase in public salaries and allowances, the remuneration of academic staff shall be correspondingly increased.”

They also agreed that the appointment of Governing Council members should continue to be in line with the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act 2003

“It was further agreed that the emerging tendencies of insisting that indigenes of host communities of universities must emerge as Vice-Chancellors negate the principle of selecting and appointing candidates based on merit and therefore should be prohibited.”

These negotiations have unfolded alongside rising tension in the academic sector.

Two weeks earlier, Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa insisted that the government had met the union’s demands.

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