FG, ASUU seal landmark deal after 16 years

After 16 years of protracted negotiations and repeated strikes, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have signed a historic agreement aimed at ending the cycle of disruptions in Nigeria’s university system.

At the signing ceremony in Abuja on Wednesday, Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa described the pact as “a decisive break from decades of discord and disruption,” noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally drove the process to a conclusion.

“For the first time, a sitting President gave full attention to this long-standing challenge, choosing dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric,” Alausa said.

The agreement includes a 40% increase in the salaries of university academics, effective January 1, 2026, approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

It also introduces a Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) to cover research, publications, conferences, internet access, and other academic necessities.

For the first time, a Professorial Cadre Allowance has been approved, with full-time professors receiving ₦1.74 million annually and readers ₦840,000, recognizing their teaching, administrative, and research responsibilities.

“This is structural, practical, and transformative,” Alausa said, pledging faithful implementation and a durable foundation for industrial harmony in universities.

ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna described the agreement as a major step toward rescuing Nigeria’s troubled university system but warned that unresolved issues could threaten its sustainability.

He noted that previous renegotiations, including committees led by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin, and Nimi Briggs, had failed, with real progress only beginning under the Yayale Ahmed-led committee in October 2024.

The pact addresses conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom, and systemic reforms to curb brain drain and reposition universities for national development.

However, Piwuna highlighted persistent threats to university autonomy, citing government interference in governing councils, vice-chancellor appointments, and a culture of “acting vice-chancellors.”

He also raised concerns about mismanagement of funds, politicised councils, and the erosion of academic standards.

ASUU welcomed the inclusion of research funding in the agreement, including a proposed National Research Council Bill allocating at least 1% of GDP to research and innovation.

While expressing cautious optimism, Piwuna urged government compliance, saying, “We hope the union will not need to issue strike threats for the full implementation of this agreement.”

Minister of State for Education Prof. Suwaiba Ahmad described the pact as “a renewal of the covenant between government and the academic community,” emphasizing that it marks a shift from confrontation to collaboration, aiming for improved working conditions, better teaching and research outcomes, and a more predictable academic calendar.

The historic agreement, hailed by both parties, signals a new chapter in Nigeria’s tertiary education, with the promise of industrial peace, better funding, and structural reforms that could reshape the nation’s university system.