After more than 16 years of stalled talks, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached a breakthrough, bringing an end to the prolonged renegotiation crisis over the 2009 agreement.
The agreement was reached on Wednesday following intensive engagements between both parties and is expected to take effect from January 1, 2026, with a review planned after three years.
Key provisions of the agreement include a 40 percent salary increase for academic staff and improved pension benefits. Under the new pension arrangement, professors will retire at the age of 70 and receive pensions equivalent to their full annual salaries, a long-standing demand of ASUU.
The deal also introduces a new university funding model with dedicated allocations for research, libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff development. It proposes the establishment of a National Research Council to support research initiatives, with funding set at a minimum of one percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
In addition, the agreement reinforces university autonomy and academic freedom, provides for elected academic leadership at the levels of deans and provosts—positions reserved for professors—and guarantees that no union member will be victimimised for participating in the prolonged struggle.
University of Lagos dean, Sunday Oloruntola, described the development as a major breakthrough for the university system after years of impasse, while stressing the importance of prompt and sincere implementation by the federal government to avoid a repeat of past failures.
