By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has approved a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers in federal tertiary institutions and introduced a new professorial cadre allowance that will provide university professors with a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000, in a move aimed at improving welfare and stabilising Nigeria’s university system.
The approval was announced on Wednesday, 15 January, 2026, by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to him, the decision followed the successful conclusion of a long-running renegotiation between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Earlier in the day, both parties reached a 2025 agreement, effectively ending a 16-year deadlock over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement.
As a result, the new deal is expected to enhance lecturers’ welfare, improve funding, and promote long-term stability across the country’s public universities.
Presenting the agreement in Abuja, Alausa described it as a major milestone for the tertiary education sector. He said.
it reflects President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to ensuring quality, accessible, and uninterrupted university education.
The minister explained that the agreement clearly defines and structures nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances for academic staff.
In particular, he noted that the introduction of the professorial cadre allowance represents a significant boost for senior academics.
“A professor will now receive a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000, following the creation of a new category of allowance known as the professorial cadre allowance,” Alausa said.
Meanwhile, he disclosed that funding has been secured to support both the 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers across federal institutions and the newly restructured allowances. Consequently, implementation of the agreement has already commenced.
Alausa said a circular authorising the workers’ welfare component of the agreement had been released after consultations between the President and the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
He added that the government remains fully committed to executing all aspects of the agreement.
“The real value of this agreement is not in signing it, but in implementing it,” the minister said, stressing that the administration intends to ensure full compliance with its terms.
