By Ademola Adekusibe
25th December 2025
The Federal Government has reached an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), approving a 40 percent increase in the salaries of university lecturers across the country.
The agreement concludes the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement and will take effect from January 1, 2026, with a review scheduled after three years.
Key highlights include improved pension benefits, with professors to earn pensions equivalent to their annual salaries upon retirement at age 70, a better funding model for universities covering research, laboratories, libraries, equipment and staff development, and the proposed establishment of a National Research Council to receive at least one percent of Nigeria’s GDP for research funding.
The agreement also provides for stronger university autonomy, enhanced academic freedom, and elected academic leadership positions, with only professors eligible to serve as Deans and Provosts. Both parties agreed that no staff member involved in the struggle would be victimized.
ASUU has urged the government to implement the agreement without delay and extend negotiations to other university unions to ensure lasting stability in the university system.
