The Federal Government, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, the Ministry of Education, federal universities, and university administrators will meet in Abuja on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, to sign a new agreement, following weeks of talks on salaries and conditions of service, with the ceremony scheduled for 11:00 a.m. at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall.
The agreement comes after the union accepted a proposal by the Federal Government to raise the salaries of academic staff by 40 per cent. This move is part of efforts to resolve long-standing disputes in the university system and improve working conditions for lecturers.
A circular from the Ministry of Education invited vice-chancellors and registrars of federal universities to attend the signing. The notice, dated January 5, 2026, was issued by the Director of University Education on behalf of the Minister of Education. The ministry’s spokesperson later confirmed the plan for the event.
University administrators were informed that their presence at the ceremony is compulsory, showing the importance attached to the agreement and its full implementation across federal institutions.
The new deal is expected to take effect from January 1, 2026, and will be reviewed after three years. It includes better retirement benefits for professors, who will receive pensions based on their final annual salary at age 70. The agreement also provides for the creation of a National Research Council to support research funding.
Other parts of the agreement cover improved funding for libraries, laboratories, equipment, and staff training. It also supports greater independence for universities, allows the election of academic leaders, and limits positions such as deans and provosts to professors. The agreement further assures that no academic staff member will face punishment for taking part in past strikes.
The signing is expected to mark a new phase in relations between the Federal Government and university lecturers, with the aim of reducing disputes and ensuring stability in Nigeria’s public universities.
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