The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities have reached a landmark interim agreement, bringing a potential end to a near-decade-long stalemate over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement.
Source within ASUU’s National Executive Council confirmed that the deal has been signed, with key provisions set to take effect from January 2026.
The agreement includes a 40% salary increase for academic staff and a major boost to pension benefits, under which professors will earn a pension equivalent to their full annual salary upon retirement at age 70.
The deal also establishes a new university funding model with dedicated allocations for research, libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development. A central highlight is the proposed creation of a National Research Council, mandated to fund research with at least 1% of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
Other agreed terms strengthen university autonomy and academic freedom and mandate that key positions such as Deans and Provosts be filled through election, open only to professors. The agreement includes a non-victimization clause and will be reviewed after three years.
The breakthrough was finalised by the Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, led by Yayale Ahmed. This follows a series of failed negotiations under previous committees and a two-week warning strike by ASUU in late 2024.
ASUU has called on the government to implement the agreement without delay and urged that negotiations be extended to other university unions to ensure lasting stability in the higher education sector.
Official confirmations from the Federal Ministry of Education and the ASUU President were still pending at the time of this report.
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