Under President Tinubu Leadership, We Chose Dialogue Over Discord, Reform Over Delay/ Resolution Over Rhetoric...... Dr Maruf Alausa .....…Sign Renegotiated Agreement With ASUU

”Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, we deliberately choose dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric." Alausa.

..... "Let me state this clearly: it is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has taken us to where we are today. His unwavering commitment, hands-on guidance, and steadfast belief in education as a national investment made this achievement possible."

Nigeria's Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa has once again announced an exciting news which will impact positively on the lives of professors and academic readers in universities.

Dr Alausa, who stated that President Bola Tinubu's administration has laid solid foundation for harmony and to prevent strikes in the education sector, made the announcement during the unveiling of the agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). 

The Minister who described the agreement as the first of its kind to be approved by the Federal Government, reiterated that it reflected the commitment of the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensuring accessible, quality and uninterrupted academic calendars.

According to him, ”For decades, unresolved remuneration concerns, welfare gaps, and recurring industrial disputes disrupted academic calendars, undermined staff morale, and threatened the future of our young people.

”Under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, we deliberately choose dialogue over discord, reform over delay, and resolution over rhetoric."

Dr. Alausa said "This administration did not shy away from complexity; we confronted it squarely. Through sustained engagement, fiscal realism, and mutual respect, we have laid a durable foundation for industrial harmony in our Federal Tertiary Educational Institutions.

"Let me state this clearly: it is President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has taken us to where we are today. His unwavering commitment, hands-on guidance, and steadfast belief in education as a national investment made this achievement possible.

"For this uncommon, courageous, and people-centred leadership, we are all profoundly grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu." 

According to him, President Tinubu's steadfast belief in education as a national investment has propelled the progress achieved in the unveiling of the agreement. 

He stated that the introduction of the new professorial credit allowance, applies strictly to full-time professors and academic readers in universities, in recognition of their heavy scholarly, administrative and research responsibilities.

Explaining further, Alausa said under the new structure, professors would receive an additional N1.8 million per annum, amounting to about N140,000 monthly, while academic readers would receive N840,000 per annum, or N70,000 monthly.

Dr Alausa disclosed that the allowance was designed to support research coordination, academic documentation, correspondence and administrative efficiency, enabling senior academics to focus more on teaching, mentorship, innovation and knowledge production.

He explained that a key provision of the agreement was the review of the remuneration package of academic staff in federal tertiary institutions, as approved by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, with effect from Jan. 1, 2026.

Dr. Alausa stated that the emolument of university's academic staff had been reviewed upward by 40% (percentage) to improve morale, enhance service delivery, boost global competitiveness and curb brain drain.

He said, "The 40% (percentage) review is represented through a consolidated academic tools allowance, is peculiar to staffs of academic universities and forms part of the salary structure."

He further disclosed that the consolidated academic tool allowance would cover journal publications, conference participation, internet access, learned society membership and book allowances.

Hence, describing it as essential for effective teaching, research and global academic competitiveness.

The Minister said the government had already commenced implementation of the agreement, noting that a circular directing the full implementation of the wages component had been issued by the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission.

According to him, the circular, dated Dec. 30, 2025, was released to ensure the agreement took effect from Jan. 1, 2026, in line with the government’s commitment.

While delivering her speech, the Minister of State for Education, Prof Suwaiba Said Ahmad, stated that the occasion reflected shared commitment to dialogue, mutual respect, and the collective resolve to strengthen Nigeria’s public university system for the benefit of present and future generations.

Professor Suwaiba noted that it also represented a shared resolve to break with the past, to replace confrontation with collaboration, and to anchor engagement on trust rather than suspicion.

According to her, "This administration recognizes that a stable, well-funded, and globally competitive university system is indispensable to Nigeria’s aspirations for innovation, productivity, and inclusive growth.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, who was also present at the event said that the agreement is a great step towards achieving industrial harmony in the education sector while urging all parties to approach the implementation of the agreement with all sincerity in order to restore confidence in the sector.

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Chris Piwuna, during his presentation said that the 2025 agreement was the outcome of a renegotiation process initiated in 2017 to revitalise Nigeria’s university system.

He said that several renegotiation committees were constituted between 2017 and 2022 under successive administrations, including those chaired by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin and Nimi Briggs, but none produced a collective bargaining agreement.

He said the current administration inaugurated a new renegotiation committee chaired by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed in October 2024, noting that an agreement was reached about 14 months later.

He said the agreement focused on conditions of service, funding, university autonomy and academic freedom, as well as other systemic reforms aimed at reversing decay, curbing brain drain and repositioning universities for national development.

He commended Ahmed and members of the renegotiation team, Alausa, and President Bola Tinubu for their commitment to concluding the renegotiation process.

While expressing satisfaction with the successful collective bargaining process, Piwuna said there were still unresolved issues affecting the university system, particularly persistent government interference in university autonomy.

“As we are here with joy for a successful collective bargaining between ASUU and the federal government, we need to note that there are still pending issues, which are more internal.

“This issue is dragging the progress and survival of the university system: the government’s persistent encroachment into the autonomy of the universities.

“University autonomy is universally recognised as a cornerstone of a functional higher education system.

“In Nigeria, although university autonomy is recognised in principle and partially entrenched in law, its practical implementation remains weak,” He said.