The Federal Government has approved a ₦1.7 million annual allowance for professors in Nigeria’s public universities, marking a major breakthrough in its renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and signalling a decisive move to end decades of recurring strikes in the university system.
The new allowance structure forms part of a comprehensive renegotiation of the long-standing 2009 FG–ASUU agreement and was formally signed on Wednesday, bringing closure to over 16 years of intermittent talks, disputes, and industrial actions that repeatedly disrupted academic calendars nationwide.
Under the revised framework, full professors will now earn ₦1,740,000 annually as a professorial allowance, translating to about ₦145,000 monthly, while readers, also known as associate professors, will receive ₦840,000 per year. The allowance is designed to reflect the senior academic, administrative, and research responsibilities attached to higher academic ranks.
The payment is structured under the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), a revised scheme intended to support teaching, research, and professional development. The allowance covers academic essentials such as research materials, journal publications, conference participation, internet access, books, and professional memberships.
Government officials say the restructured allowance is aimed at strengthening academic productivity and improving the global competitiveness of Nigerian universities, while also addressing long-standing complaints by lecturers over inadequate support for research and scholarly work.
In addition to the professorial allowance, the renegotiated agreement redefines Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), tying them more clearly to verifiable academic duties and responsibilities. This, according to the government, is meant to improve transparency and accountability in the payment of academic incentives.
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The agreement also provides for a broader review of lecturers’ remuneration, including an approved 40 per cent salary adjustment for academic staff, scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026, following directives issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.
ASUU leadership has welcomed the development, describing it as a major step toward restoring stability in the university system. The union, however, emphasized that sustained industrial peace will depend largely on the government’s willingness to fully and consistently implement the terms of the agreement.
Education stakeholders say the new deal, if faithfully executed, could help curb brain drain, improve staff morale, and restore confidence in Nigeria’s public universities, many of which have suffered declining global rankings due to repeated shutdowns.
With the signing of the renegotiated pact, both the Federal Government and ASUU have expressed hope that the era of prolonged strikes in public universities is drawing to a close, opening a new chapter focused on stability, improved funding, and renewed academic excellence.
