The Federal Government of Nigeria on Wednesday 14th January, 2026, formally unveiled and signed the renegotiated 2025 Agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The unveiling ceremony which brought together key stakeholders from the executive, legislature, labour, and the academic community, held in Abuja.
Highlights of the agreement is include the 40 per cent upward review of the emoluments of university academic staff, effective 1 January 2026, as approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. According to the agreement, the review is implemented through a Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), which forms part of the salary structure and covers journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book allowances.
The agreement also introduced a Professorial Credit Allowance, providing N1.8 million per annum for professors and between N840,000 and N870,000 per annum for academic readers, to support research, mentorship, and academic leadership. Nine previously earned academic allowances have also been restructured, clearly defined, and tied strictly to duties performed, to ensure accountability, and fairness across the system.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, while speaking at the event said the move laid a solid foundation against recurring strikes and signalled a decisive shift towards uninterrupted academic calendars in Nigeria’s university system.
Dr. Alausa said for the first time in the history of engagements between the Federal Government and ASUU, all the critical components required for a functional, competitive, and globally relevant university system have been comprehensively captured in a single, aligned agreement.
Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, described the ceremony as both historic and deeply symbolic, and harped on the importance of sustained partnership and accountability in moving the sector forward.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi, urged all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to fully embrace and implement its provisions with diligence and responsibility.
Chairman, House Committee on University Education, Abubakar Fulata, and the Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Muntari Yandutse, called for the sustenance of dialogue and faithful implementation of the agreement, particularly its financial components, in the national interest.
President of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, spoke on the challenges faced since the 2009 agreement, and called for consistency in implementation and continued reforms, including issues of university autonomy and governance.
Highpoint of the event was the formal unveiling of the signed agreement. NIM
