FG approves N1.74m allowance for professors as readers get N840,000

The Federal Government has approved for the first time, a Professorial Cadre Allowance for full-time professors and readers in public institutions across Nigeria.

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during the signing of renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Abuja on Wednesday, January 14, 2026.

“For Professors, the allowance is ₦1.74 million per annum (₦140,000 monthly), and for Readers, ₦840,000 per annum (₦70,000 monthly). This is not cosmetic. It is structural, practical and transformative,” Alausa said.

Alausa said the allowance recognises the heavy academic, administrative and research workload borne by senior academics.

The minister pledged government’s faithful implementation saying: “We have laid a durable foundation for industrial harmony in our universities. History will remember today as the day Nigeria chose dialogue, transparency and strong presidential commitment over perpetual crisis.”

Speaking at the event, ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who described the agreement as a major step toward rescuing Nigeria’s troubled university system, warned that deep structural problems still threaten its survival as he regretted that the pact ends a struggle that should have been concluded over a decade ago.

“The 2009 agreement was due for renegotiation in 2012, but it dragged on for this long due to the poverty of sincerity in government. What we are unveiling today is the outcome of a prolonged struggle that began in 2017,” the ASUU boss said.

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Piwuna commended Tinubu, Alausa, and the chairman of the renegotiation committee, Yayale Ahmed, for what he described as uncommon commitment.

“We used harsh words sometimes, but today I have nothing but respect for the Honourable Minister of Education and his team,” he stated.

Despite celebrating the agreement, the ASUU president however raised the alarm over what he called persistent government encroachment on university autonomy, describing it as a major unresolved internal crisis.

“University autonomy is universally recognised as the cornerstone of a functional higher education system, but in Nigeria its implementation remains weak,” Piwuna said.

He accused federal and state governments of arbitrarily dissolving governing councils and interfering in the appointment of vice-chancellors.

“Councils’ recommendations are often rejected. Preferred candidates are imposed despite not emerging best. This erodes meritocracy, fuels conflict and creates legitimacy crises in our universities,” Piwuna added.

He also warned against the growing culture of “acting vice-chancellors,” saying it undermines stability and governance.

ASUU welcomed the inclusion of research funding in the renegotiated agreement, revealing that it provides for the forwarding of a National Research Council Bill to the National Assembly.

The Star