40% pay rise for lecturers to take effect January 1, 2026
By Joseph Erunke, Abuja
In a landmark development poised to reshape Nigeria’s tertiary education landscape, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have sealed a far-reaching agreement aimed at improving lecturers’ welfare, ensuring industrial harmony and ending decades of disruptions in federal universities.
The 2025 Federal Government–ASUU Agreement was unveiled on Wednesday in Abuja by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who described the pact as a historic turning point that restores trust, dignity and confidence in the nation’s university system after years of strikes and instability.
“This is more than the unveiling of a document. It symbolises renewed trust, restored confidence and a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system,” Alausa said.
The minister credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with taking what he described as an unprecedented step by personally confronting and resolving a long-standing crisis that had crippled universities, disrupted academic calendars and dashed the hopes of millions of students.
“For the first time in our history, a sitting President confronted this challenge head-on and gave it the leadership attention it truly deserved,” he said, adding that the administration chose “dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric.”
A major highlight of the agreement is a 40 per cent upward review of the emoluments of university academic staff, approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC). The new pay structure is scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026.
Under the revised framework, academic remuneration will consist of the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) and an enhanced Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA). The strengthened CATA is designed to support journal publications, conference participation, internet access, professional memberships and book development—key tools for global academic competitiveness and curbing brain drain.
The agreement also restructures nine Earned Academic Allowances, which are now clearly defined, transparently earned and directly linked to duties performed. These include postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical responsibilities, examinations and academic leadership roles.
In another first for Nigeria’s university system, the Federal Government approved a Professorial Cadre Allowance for full-time Professors and Readers, in recognition of their academic, administrative and research responsibilities.
Under the scheme, Professors will receive N1.74 million annually (N140,000 monthly), while Readers will earn N840,000 annually (N70,000 monthly).
According to Alausa, the allowance is intended to enhance research coordination, academic documentation and administrative efficiency, allowing senior academics to devote more time to teaching, mentorship and innovation.
“This intervention is not cosmetic. It is structural, practical and transformative,” the minister said.
He commended President Tinubu’s “uncommon, courageous and people-centred leadership,” noting that sustained engagement, fiscal realism and mutual respect made it possible to resolve what many considered an intractable crisis spanning over two decades.
Alausa assured Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to the faithful implementation of the agreement under the Renewed Hope Agenda, pledging continuous engagement and sustained reforms in the education sector.
Stakeholders believe the agreement ushers in a new era of stability and excellence for Nigerian universities, restoring predictability to academic calendars and renewed hope to students and parents across the country.
The minister also praised members of both negotiating teams—led by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed for the Federal Government and Professor Pius Piwuna for ASUU—as well as the immediate past ASUU leadership under Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, for laying the foundation for the breakthrough.
“History will remember today not just as an unveiling ceremony,” Alausa concluded, “but as the day Nigeria chose dialogue, transparency and strong presidential commitment as the pathway to resolving long-standing governance challenges.”
With the deal now sealed, many Nigerians are hopeful that the era of prolonged university shutdowns is giving way to stability, productivity and global competitiveness in the nation’s higher education system.
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