The Federal Government has approved a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers in federal tertiary institutions and introduced a new professorial cadre allowance that will see university professors earn a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television.
The development follows the signing of a landmark 2025 agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ending a 16-year stalemate over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement. The deal is expected to usher in improved staff welfare, enhanced funding, and greater stability in Nigeria’s university system.
Presenting the agreement in Abuja, Alausa described it as a significant milestone for the tertiary education sector and a demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to delivering quality, accessible and uninterrupted university education.
According to the minister, the agreement clearly defines and restructures nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), alongside the newly created professorial cadre allowance.
“A professor will now receive a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000,” Alausa said. “President Tinubu has approved a new category of allowance for academic staff known as the professorial cadre allowance—an enhanced additional package.
“Today, we have the funding to support the 40 per cent salary increase granted to lecturers across all our institutions, as well as the nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances, which are now properly structured.”
He assured stakeholders that the agreement would be fully implemented, stressing that the value of any pact lies not in its signing but in its execution.
“Implementation had already begun even before today,” the minister said. “The Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and the President worked extensively between December 20, 29 and 30 to ensure that the necessary circular to back the workers’ welfare component of the agreement was issued. That circular has now been released.
“During negotiations, the President made it clear that he would not approve an agreement that could not be implemented. The central question was whether the funding was available. Once he was fully convinced that the resources were in place, he gave his approval.”
Alausa added that the enhanced allowances have now been clearly structured, providing clarity on eligibility, scope of payments and associated costs.
“We started with ASUU today, the nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances are now well defined. Academics now know who will be paid, what they are being paid for, and the financial implications for the Federal Government,” he said.
