…FG Approves 40% Pay Rise
…Funding, Laboratories, Staff Development Revamped
Daud Olatunji
In a historic move set to transform Nigeria’s public university system, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) are scheduled to sign a landmark agreement on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, in Abuja.
The ceremony, slated for 11 a.m., will mark the formal conclusion of over 16 years of protracted negotiations and recurring industrial actions.
The accord, confirmed by the Federal Ministry of Education, guarantees a 40 per cent salary increase for university lecturers and introduces improved pension benefits, including full-salary retirement for professors at the age of 70 — a longstanding demand by ASUU.
Beyond pay reforms, the agreement lays out a comprehensive funding framework for federal universities, earmarking resources for research, laboratory upgrades, libraries, modern equipment, and staff development programs.
The plan also envisions the establishment of a National Research Council, to be funded with at least one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), aimed at bolstering research and innovation nationwide.
A circular issued by the Ministry of Education on January 5, 2026, emphasized that the signing underscores the government’s commitment to industrial peace, improved teaching and learning conditions, and the sustainable development of tertiary education under President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Vice-chancellors and registrars of all federal universities have been directed to attend the event.
The agreement follows the successful renegotiation of the 2009 FG–ASUU pact in December 2025 and is expected to take effect retroactively from January 1, 2026.
The new framework includes a three-year review mechanism to ensure continuous progress and adaptation to the evolving needs of Nigerian universities.
Education stakeholders have hailed the deal as a decisive step toward ending decades of labour unrest, stabilizing academic calendars, and restoring confidence in the country’s public higher education institutions.
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