The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a far-reaching agreement aimed at resetting Nigeria’s university education system, improving staff welfare, and restoring long-term stability to public universities.
The agreement, which replaces the controversial 2009 pact that fuelled years of industrial unrest, was formally unveiled on Wednesday at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Conference Hall in Maitama, Abuja. Senior government officials and union leaders attended the event.
Speaking at the ceremony, ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna said the union was cautiously optimistic that the new agreement would mark a clear departure from the cycle of unfulfilled promises that had defined its relationship with successive governments.
While acknowledging ASUU’s long history of distrust, Piwuna expressed hope that the present administration would faithfully implement the agreement without forcing the union to resort to strike threats.
“We are optimistic that the government will implement this agreement in totality, but pessimism still exists because of our history,” Piwuna said. “It is our belief that Dr. Tunji Alausa will be different, and that ASUU will not need to issue a strike threat before any part of this agreement is implemented.”
Describing the pact as a watershed moment, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, said the agreement represents a decisive turning point in the governance of Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
According to him, the deal reflects the deliberate commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to quality education, labour harmony, and an uninterrupted academic calendar across the country’s universities.
“This occasion symbolises renewed trust, restored confidence, and a decisive turning point in the history of Nigeria’s tertiary education system,” Alausa said. “Today’s agreement is an unprecedented demonstration of President Tinubu’s commitment to quality education and academic stability.”
A major highlight of the 2025 agreement, reached on December 23, is the introduction of a new professorial cadre allowance, effectively bringing to an end a 16-year dispute between the Federal Government and university lecturers.
Under the new framework, professors are to receive N1.7 million annually as allowances to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence, and administrative efficiency. Readers will receive N840,000 annually for the same purpose.
Alausa clarified that the allowance applies strictly to full-time professors and readers, excluding part-time academic staff. He explained that the measure recognises the heavy administrative, scholarly, and research responsibilities associated with senior academic positions.
Beyond the professorial allowance, the agreement also provides for a 40 per cent increment in the remuneration of academic staff. Payments will now be structured under two components: the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary (CONUASS) and the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA).
The minister said the CATA component captures allowances for journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership, and book development. He added that nine earned academic allowances have now been clearly structured, transparently earned, and tied strictly to duties performed.
“These reforms promote productivity, accountability, and fairness,” Alausa noted, listing postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, moderation, examinations, and leadership responsibilities among the recognised allowances.
Declaring the agreement as the end of incessant strikes in public universities, the education minister said the deal restores confidence among academics, ensures predictability of academic calendars, and renews hope for millions of Nigerian students.
“History will remember today not merely as an unveiling ceremony, but as the day Nigeria chose dialogue, transparency, fiscal realism, and strong presidential commitment as the pathway to resolving long-standing challenges,” he said.
Prof. Piwuna, in his closing remarks, reiterated ASUU’s optimism, stressing that the true test of the agreement lies in faithful and timely implementation by the Federal Government.