Relief for Students as ASUU Accepts Government’s 40% Salary Increase

Relief for Students as ASUU Accepts Government’s 40% Salary Increase
The agreement is scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026
The agreement also strengthens university autonomy and academic freedom

Nigerian students, parents, and academics may soon find relief from the prolonged disruptions that have plagued the country’s university system, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accepted the Federal Government’s proposed 40 per cent pay increase for academic staff.

Contents

EDITOR’S PICK
FURTHER READING

Eko Hot Blog gathered that the union confirmed that it reached a fresh agreement with the Federal Government on December 23, 2025, effectively concluding the long-running renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement, which has shaped industrial relations in the university sector for over 16 years.

EDITOR’S PICK

Under the new agreement, professors will earn pensions equivalent to their annual salaries upon retirement at the age of 70. The deal also provides for the establishment of a National Research Council (NRC), which will fund research with at least 1 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The agreement is scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026, and will be reviewed after three years. ASUU announced the development on its official Facebook page on Wednesday.

Other key provisions include a revised university funding model with dedicated allocations for research, libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development.

The agreement also strengthens university autonomy and academic freedom, while providing for elected academic leadership positions such as deans and provosts, with eligibility restricted to professors. ASUU further stated that no member would be victimised for participating in the struggle.

The union called on the Federal Government to implement the agreement without delay and urged that negotiations be extended to other university-based unions to ensure lasting stability in the system.

Relief for Students as ASUU Accepts Government’s 40% Salary Increase

The 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement has remained a major source of friction between successive governments and the lecturers’ union, largely due to disputes over implementation.

While the agreement was designed to address critical challenges in public universities, ASUU has consistently accused past administrations of failing to honour key provisions.

These unresolved issues, particularly those relating to lecturers’ welfare, salaries, allowances, and funding of public universities, have contributed to deteriorating infrastructure, overcrowded classrooms, and declining academic standards.

They have also triggered frequent strikes that disrupted academic calendars and affected millions of students and their families across the country.

With the latest agreement, stakeholders are hopeful that Nigeria’s university system may finally experience a period of stability and recovery after years of industrial unrest.