The Nigerian Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a new agreement, marking the end of a prolonged 16-year stalemate in renegotiating the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
The breakthrough came after intensive negotiations, with the deal officially concluded on December 23, 2025, and set to take effect from January 1, 2026. This long-awaited resolution promises improved welfare for university lecturers, enhanced university funding, and greater autonomy, potentially ushering in a new era of industrial harmony and academic stability in public universities across the country.
The renegotiation process, which began over a decade ago due to the original 2009 agreement’s need for updates amid rising inflation and evolving challenges, had repeatedly stalled, leading to multiple strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
It was gathered that the new agreement addresses key demands, including a 40% salary increase for academic staff, significantly improved pension benefits, and the establishment of a National Research Council funded by at least 1% of the nation’s GDP to support research, libraries, laboratories, and staff development.
This pact also strengthens university autonomy and academic freedom, introduces provisions for elected academic leadership (such as deans and provosts, restricted to professors), and includes a non-victimization clause to protect participants in the long negotiation process. The agreement will undergo a review after three years to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, confirmed that the Nigerian government and the ASUU signed the agreement on Wednesday. The Minister described the pact as a decisive turning point for Nigeria’s tertiary education sector and a clear demonstration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to quality, accessible, and uninterrupted university education.
Speaking at the unveiling, Alausa said the agreement symbolised renewed trust, restored confidence, and a durable foundation for industrial harmony in federal tertiary institutions, stressing that the Tinubu administration deliberately chose dialogue over discord and reform over delay.
He stated: “First, the agreement provides for the review of the remuneration package of academic staff in Federal Tertiary Institutions, as approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), with effect from 1st January 2026.
“Key components of this Agreement include: Emolument, The Emolument of University Academic staff be reviewed upward by 40% to enhance morale, improve quality of service delivery, and global competitiveness of Nigerian Tertiary Educational institutions, while reversing Brain Drain.
“Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) and Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA)
The Salary Structure will comprise CONUASS and CATA. The 40% review will be represented by the consolidated academic tools allowance and is peculiar to university academic staff.
“The Consolidated Academic Tools Allowances cover journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book allowances, which are critical tools required for effective teaching, research, and global academic competitiveness,” the minister said.
The agreement also restructures Earned Academic Allowances, now clearly defined into nine components that are transparently earned and tied strictly to duties performed. These include enhanced provisions for postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, moderation, examination responsibilities, and leadership roles, a move aimed at promoting productivity, accountability, and fairness within the system.
In a new intervention, the Federal Government approved a new Professorial Cadre Allowance for full-time Professors and Readers in Nigerian universities. Under the arrangement, 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.
“This approval recognizes the significant workload, administrative, scholarly, and research responsibilities borne by academics at these levels by virtue of their positions. The allowance is structured as follows: N1,740,000 per annum, equivalent to N140,000 per month, for Professors; and N840,000 per annum, equivalent to N70,000 per month.”
According to the Minister, the allowance recognises the significant academic, administrative, and research responsibilities borne by senior academics and is designed to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, and administrative efficiency.
“This intervention is not cosmetic. It is structural, practical, and transformative,” Alausa said.
He added that the agreement was negotiated transparently and approved strictly in line with established government procedures.
ASUU, in its remarks at the presentation of the renegotiated agreement, noted that the deal was reached 16 years after the signing of the 2009 agreement, which was due for renegotiation in 2012 but suffered prolonged delays due to what the union described as a lack of sincerity by previous administrations.
The union explained that the renegotiation process, initiated in 2017, went through several committees under past governments without success until the current administration inaugurated the Yayale Ahmed-led Renegotiation Committee in October 2024.
