In a bid to end decades of recurring faceoffs in the nations university system the Federal Government on Wednesday formally signed a revised agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The signing ceremony in Abuja capped a renegotiation process that first kicked off in 2017 to overhaul the 2009 FG ASUU agreement originally scheduled for review in 2012 but stalled for more than a decade.
Multiple government panels led by Wale Babalakin Munzali Jibrin and Nimi Briggs had previously attempted to conclude the process without success.
However the impasse was finally broken following the inauguration of a new committee chaired by Yayale Ahmed in October 2024.
The fresh pact clinched 14 months later captures revisions on welfare and remuneration autonomy academic freedom and critical reforms targeted at halting the deterioration of public universities curbing the exodus of scholars and strengthening the institutions for national growth.
Addressing stakeholders at the signing Minister of Education Dr Tunji Alausa described the agreement as a watershed moment for the countrys higher education ecosystem.
According to him the accord signals a renewed political will by President Bola Tinubus administration to stabilise university calendars and restore faith among lecturers.
This document symbolises renewed trust and an irreversible turning point in the administration of our tertiary education Alausa declared adding that Tinubu personally drove the process to conclusion.
He blamed years of unresolved welfare and salary disputes for repeated industrial actions that repeatedly threw students out of classrooms but maintained that the current administration prioritised dialogue and reform over confrontation.
Unveiling highlights of the new arrangement the minister announced that lecturers pay in federal universities would be reviewed upward with effect from January 1 2026.
Under the new structure academic staff will earn 40 per cent more through a two part pay system comprising the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary and a Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance.
The allowance component covering journal publication conferences internet access professional memberships and books accounts for the percentage rise.
Alausa also noted that nine earned allowances had been restructured and would now be tied strictly to workload such as postgraduate supervision clinical duties examinations field trips and administrative responsibilities.
In a major policy shift the Federal Government approved a new Professorial Cadre Allowance for senior academics.
Full Professors are to earn N1.74m annually about N140000 monthly while Readers will receive N840000 per year.
He described the adjustment as structural not cosmetic insisting that it would boost morale and slow down brain drain.
With the full backing of Mr President we confronted a problem many considered unsolvable and resolved it not just for now but for the future he added.
Alausa maintained that the pact ushers in a new phase of stability for public universities and recommits government to implementing the agreement in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He applauded members of both teams who negotiated the deal saying the day signposted a historic national decision to embrace transparency consensus building and education reform.
