Historic Deal: Federal Government Starts 40% Salary Increase for Varsity Lecturers

Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will see their salaries and other benefits increased by at least 40% as part of a renegotiated deal that the federal government has started to execute.

The National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), which is in charge of the payment template, has already acknowledged the review and stated that it will go into effect on January 1, 2026.

Academic compensation will now consist of the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) and a strengthened Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), which is intended to support journal publications, conference participation, internet access, professional memberships, and book development, following the signing of the new template by Minister of Education Tunji Alausa and ASUU officials led by Prof. Chris Piwuna in Abuja on Wednesday.

Nine Earned Academic Allowances, which are now clearly defined, openly earned, and directly linked to tasks completed, such as postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical responsibilities, exams, and leadership positions, are also reorganized under the renegotiated agreement.

In recognition of their significant academic, administrative, and research obligations, the Federal Government went one step further and approved a new Professorial Cadre Allowance for full-time professors and readers.

Under the program, readers would receive N840,000 annually (N70,000 monthly), and academics will receive N1.74 million annually (N140,000 monthly).

Alausa, who signed the regulation, explained that the special allowances are intended to improve academic documentation, research cooperation, and administrative efficiency, allowing top academics to concentrate more on teaching, mentoring, and innovation.

Alausa, who was full of gratitude for President Bola Tinubu for approving the salary increase, expressed optimism that it will reinvent Nigeria’s tertiary education in the future, particularly by ending regular industrial actions and disrupting academic schedules at federal universities.

The minister claims that after decades of strikes and turmoil, the new agreement aims to rebuild confidence, trust, and dignity in the country’s educational system.

This goes beyond simply revealing a document. It represents a significant turning point in the history of Nigeria’s higher education system as well as reestablished confidence and trust.

The minister emphasized that the government prioritized “dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric,” noting that “for the first time in our history, a sitting president confronted this challenge head-on and gave it the leadership attention it truly deserved.”

Alausa also thanked the members of both negotiating teams—led by Professor Pius Piwuna for ASUU and Alhaji Yayale Ahmed for the government—as well as the recent ASUU leadership under Professor Emmanuel Osodeke for building the foundation for the breakthrough.

Today will be remembered not only as an unveiling event but also as the day Nigeria chose discussion, transparency, and strong presidential commitment as the means to resolving long-standing governance difficulties, according to the education minister.

“Millions of Nigerians are hopeful that the period of protracted university closures may finally be giving way to stability, productivity, and global competitiveness in the nation’s higher education system with this deal sealed,” he said.

Prof. Chris Piwuna, President of ASUU, responded later, regretting that the deal was the result of a protracted battle but expressing joy that it represents a significant step towards saving Nigeria’s problematic university system.

He stated, “The 2009 agreement was supposed to be renegotiated in 2012, but it dragged on for this long due to poverty of sincerity in government.”

“What we are revealing today is the result of a protracted battle that started in 2017.”

Piwuna outlined the convoluted process that led to the agreement, citing unsuccessful renegotiations headed by Wale Babalakin in 2017, Munzali Jibrin in 2021, and Nimi Briggs in 2022, prior to advancements under the Yayale Ahmed-led committee that was established in October 2024.

We are here to observe an agreement about 14 months later. In order to reverse degradation, stop brain drain, and reposition our universities for national development, this agreement addresses conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and systemic reforms,” he stated.

He praised Dr. Alausa, President Tinubu, and Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, the chairman of the renegotiation committee, for their extraordinary dedication and honesty.

Mallam Yayale once said to me, “I stake my integrity on this.” The most valuable asset I safeguard is that. Piwuna stated, “Sir, you will go to heaven,” adding that he now had “nothing but respect” for the minister and his team despite difficult conversations during negotiations.

However, Piwuna expressed worry about what he saw as ongoing government interference with academic autonomy.

He cautioned, “University autonomy is universally acknowledged as the cornerstone of a functional higher education system, but its implementation remains weak in Nigeria.”

He said that merit was frequently compromised for political favors and accused the federal and state governments of abruptly dissolving governing councils and meddling in the selection of vice chancellors.

Recommendations from councils are often turned down. Even if they don’t do the best, preferred candidates are mandated. He criticized the increasing use of “acting vice-chancellors” and said, “This erodes meritocracy, fuels conflict, and creates legitimacy crises.”

Piwuna applauded the agreement’s inclusion of research financing, pointing out that it calls for sending a National Research Council Bill to the National Assembly that would allocate at least 1% of GDP to research and development.

He urged senators to grant the bill expedited consideration, saying, “Research funding is not a luxury; it is a necessity.”

Additionally, he accused some university administrations and governing councils of mismanaging cash obtained through ASUU struggles, claiming financial recklessness, contract irregularities, and pervasive consultancy abuses.

These days, consultants run our universities. He claimed that consulting has evolved into a clean method of purifying the money that ASUU fought for.

Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad, Minister of State for Education, gave a speech and referred to the agreement as “the renewal of a covenant between government and the academic community.”

“I find this moment to be very personal,” she remarked. “I know what it’s like to mentor students whose academic journeys are halted by strikes, to pursue research with limited resources, and to plan a semester only to have it disrupted.”

Give Us the Same Olive Branch SSANU and NASU Inform FG

Other sister unions within the university system, specifically the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities and Allied Institutions (NASU), have cried out, reminding the government to extend the same hand of fellowship to them, just hours after news broke that the Federal Government had signed a historic deal with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), increasing their salaries by 40 percent minimum.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, Com. Mohammed Ibrahim, President of SSANU and Chairman of JAC, and Prince Peters Adeyemi, General Secretary of NASU, commended ASUU for accomplishing the achievement.

Both NASU and SSANU concluded that adhering to their own renegotiation agreement was necessary in order to preserve industrial harmony inside the university system.

“The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of NASU and SSANU extends its congratulations to our sister union, ASUU, on the milestone achieved today, January 14, 2025, as it signs what appeared to be an elusive agreement with the Federal Government for improved working conditions for its members,” the statement says.

“JAC of NASU and SSANU remains dedicated to the establishment of industrial harmony and sustainable communities in our universities and urges the Federal Government to guarantee prompt action in the ongoing negotiation with NASU and SSANU, as any further delay after the signing of today’s agreement with our sister union would be a clear invitation to chaos and the distortion of industrial peace which we have continued to maintain despite the government’s continued insensitivity to the university system and the horrific conditions under which our members are forced to work.

“JAC advises the Federal Government not to stir the hornet’s nest through any form of delay tactics, noting that timely conclusion of the ongoing renegotiation with NASU and SSANU would prevent the breakdown of industrial peace and harmony in the system.” Time is of the essence!