The Federal Government has commenced the implementation of a 40 per cent increase in the Consolidated Academic Allowance for ASUU members.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the statement, the move reflected President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to honouring agreements reached with stakeholders in the education sector and sustaining industrial harmony in federal universities.
The ministry confirmed that some federal universities had already reflected the approved increase in salary payments, adding that measures were underway to ensure uniform implementation nationwide.
“The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Alausa, has announced that the Federal Government has fulfilled its obligation to implement the 40 per cent increase in the Consolidated Academic Allowance (CAA) for ASUU members, with effect from 1st January 2026, in line with the agreement reached with the union.
‘Some federal universities have already begun reflecting the approved increase in their salary payments.
‘To ensure uniform implementation nationwide, all federal universities are being formally notified to fully cascade the approved increment across their institutions and integrate it into their payroll structures so that all eligible academic staff benefit accordingly”, the statement said.
Alausa also directed vice-chancellors to ensure strict compliance with the framework for implementing the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), urging them ‘to make judicious use of available resources to ensure the successful rollout of the allowance’.
He further clarified that ‘the payment has already been captured and circularised by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), and that its inclusion in the 2026 budget is a formal statutory process’.
The minister called on university managements to take proactive steps to facilitate prompt payment of the allowances in line with NSIWC guidelines, noting that ‘timely implementation of both the CAA increase and CATA will strengthen the academic environment, enhance staff morale, and support improved outcomes in teaching, research and learning across Nigerian universities’.
The Federal Government reiterated its resolve to honour agreements with education sector stakeholders and reaffirmed its commitment to constructive engagement, transparency and continuous improvement in the quality of education nationwide.
Last month, the Federal Government and ASUU unveiled a renegotiated agreement aimed at resolving long-standing disputes in the tertiary education sector.
The 2025 agreement concluded a renegotiation process that began in 2017 to review the 2009 FG–ASUU pact, which was due for revision in 2012.
Previous renegotiation efforts under committees chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin and Nimi Briggs failed to yield a final agreement.
The breakthrough came under the current administration, which inaugurated a renegotiation committee led by Yayale Ahmed in October 2024.
An agreement was reached about 14 months later, focusing on improved conditions of service, funding, university autonomy, academic freedom and reforms to address sectoral decline and brain drain.
A major provision of the agreement is the upward review of academic staff remuneration in federal universities by 40 per cent, effective 1 January 2026.
Under the new structure, salaries comprise the Consolidated University Academic Staff Salary and the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance.
The tools allowance is intended to support research, journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership and book procurement, with the objective of boosting productivity and retaining academic talent.
The agreement also restructures nine earned academic allowances to promote transparency by linking payments strictly to duties performed, including postgraduate supervision, fieldwork, clinical duties, examination responsibilities and leadership roles.
In addition, the Federal Government approved a Professorial Cadre Allowance for the first time, under which full Professors will receive N1.74 million annually, while Readers will earn N840,000 per annum, an intervention described as a structural measure to recognise experience and strengthen the academic profession.
