The Federal Government has approved a 40 per cent increase in salaries for lecturers in federal tertiary institutions and introduced a new professorial cadre allowance that will add over ₦140,000 monthly to the earnings of university professors.

The announcement was made by the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

Breakthrough Agreement Ends 16-Year ASUU Deadlock

The salary adjustment and new allowance form part of a landmark 2025 agreement reached earlier the same day between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The agreement effectively resolves a 16-year impasse surrounding the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement, a dispute that had repeatedly disrupted academic calendars across Nigeria’s universities.

Presenting the agreement in Abuja, Alausa described it as a turning point for the country’s higher education sector and a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to stable, well-funded, and uninterrupted university education.

Professors to Receive New Monthly Top-Up

According to the minister, the agreement introduces a new category of academic allowance, known as the Professorial Cadre Allowance, which will significantly improve professors’ take-home pay.

“A professor will receive from now, a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000,” Alausa said.
“This is part of an enhanced welfare package approved by President Tinubu specifically for academic staff.”

He added that the agreement clearly outlines nine improved Earned Academic Allowances (EAAs), which have now been properly defined and costed.

Funding Secured, Implementation Already Underway

Alausa assured university staff that the Federal Government has already secured the funding required to implement the agreement, stressing that the focus is now on execution rather than promises.

He disclosed that implementation began even before the formal signing, noting that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, working with the President, finalised and released the necessary circulars in late December.

“The President was very clear during negotiations,” the minister said.
“He said he would not approve an agreement unless he was certain it could be fully implemented.”

Lecturers Now Know What They Are Paid For

The education minister explained that the restructured allowances bring clarity and transparency to academic remuneration.

“With the enhanced Earned Academic Allowances now fully structured, lecturers understand exactly who is paid, what they are paid for, and how much it costs the government,” he said.

He confirmed that the 40 per cent salary increase applies across all federal tertiary institutions, beginning with university lecturers under ASUU.

A Step Toward Stability in Universities

The government expressed optimism that the agreement would reduce industrial disputes and restore long-term stability to Nigeria’s university system, improving teaching conditions and student learning outcomes.

Alausa reiterated that the success of the agreement would be judged by consistent implementation, not just its signing.