The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have brought an end to a 16-year-long renegotiation stalemate over the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
The breakthrough was reached on December 23, 2025, after intensive discussions between both parties.
The agreement is set to take effect from January 1, 2026, with a three-year review clause. Key provisions include a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff and improved pension benefits.
Under the new arrangement, professors will retire at the age of 70, receiving pensions equivalent to their full annual salaries—a long-standing demand of the union.
The deal also introduces a revamped funding model for universities, earmarking dedicated resources for research, libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development.
A National Research Council is to be established, with a minimum of one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product allocated to research funding.
Academic freedom and university autonomy are reinforced under the agreement, alongside elected leadership positions at the level of deans and provosts, reserved exclusively for professors.
The agreement further guarantees protection for union members who participated in the prolonged struggle.
An ASUU source described the deal as a “major breakthrough” for Nigerian universities, noting that it addresses salary, pension, funding, autonomy, and governance challenges that have hindered the system for years.
“This is the outcome of sustained engagement and sacrifice by our members. It addresses salary, pension, funding, autonomy, and governance issues that have crippled Nigerian universities for years,” the source said, adding that the union expects prompt implementation to prevent past failures from recurring.
