The Federal Government has announced the release of ₦2.3 billion to settle outstanding salary and promotion arrears owed to university lecturers across the country.
The move, disclosed on Wednesday, is part of the government’s efforts to fulfil its financial obligations to the nation’s academic workforce and strengthen the stability of the tertiary education system.
According to the government, the payment underscores its commitment to revitalising Nigeria’s universities through targeted funding, policy reforms, and continuous engagement with key stakeholders — including the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other unions in the university system.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this while providing updates on ongoing engagements with ASUU and other tertiary institution unions. He stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains resolute in his determination to resolve all lingering welfare and funding issues in a transparent, fair, and sustainable manner, according to a statement by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo.
Alausa announced that the Federal Government has released ₦2.3 billion to universities across the country, representing Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears. The disbursements, processed through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, reflect the Tinubu Administration’s resolve to clear inherited backlogs and enhance the welfare of academic and non-academic staff in the tertiary education sector.
According to him, “A total of ₦2.311 billion, representing Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears, has been released through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to universities. Benefiting institutions should begin to receive payment alerts anytime from now.”
He further disclosed that the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Finance and the OAGF, is finalising the release of third-party non-statutory deductions and pension remittances, which he said is expected to be completed in the coming days.
Alausa added that the government has approved the full mainstreaming of the Earned Academic Allowance into university staff salaries beginning from 2026, noting that this will ensure prompt, predictable, and sustainable payments going forward. In addition, funds have been released under the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities, with corresponding budgetary provisions made to sustain the initiative.
“The Federal Ministry of Education assures that these engagements are being conducted truthfully and in good faith. However, while the government remains committed to improving staff welfare, it will only enter into agreements that are realistic and financially sustainable,” Alausa stated.
He explained that the Yayale Ahmed Negotiating Committee continues to serve as a bridge between the Federal Government and the tertiary institutions’ unions, ensuring that all pending welfare-related issues are addressed through honest and mutually respectful dialogue. “Negotiations are being conducted sincerely, mutually, and respectfully,” he added.
Alausa reiterated that the Federal Government will not engage in unsustainable fiscal practices. “Our priority is to ensure that all matters are addressed responsibly and in the best interest of our education system,” he said, stressing that all commitments must align with approved budgetary provisions to guarantee long-term stability.
Meanwhile, several lecturers who spoke to our correspondent on Wednesday night noted that October 2025 salaries remain unpaid despite the announcement by the ministry. Some of the lecturers who spoke under condition of anonymity expressed disappointment at what they tagged as incessant delay in the payment of salaries of university teachers.
One of the lecturers who is from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said, “I can speak with all authority that the October salaries have not been paid so we are surprised at the announcement by the ministry.”
Another lecturer at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, who also spoke under anonymity, noted that salaries remained unpaid.
“It is now becoming a trend. The government now feels the need to delay our salaries without any reason.”
Though the president of ASUU, Prof. Chris Piwuna, could not be immediately reached for comments, a branch chairman of the Union at a federal northern university noted that salaries have not been paid.
The union leader, who spoke under anonymity as he did not have the permission of the National Executive Council of the union to speak, said, “We have not received a dime, not even our salaries.”
ASUU has been in a heated standoff with the Federal Government over demands for payment of withheld salaries and promotion arrears amid frustration over stagnant wages since 2009.
The union, which represents thousands of lecturers across Nigerian public universities, argues that the government’s neglect has continued to cripple public universities, thereby fueling strikes and eroding academic excellence.
The union recently called off a two-week warning strike following interventions by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the National Assembly.
The lecturers are demanding the implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, payment of withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries, revitalisation of public universities, and sustainable funding for tertiary institutions.
Other grievances include the payment of 25–35% salary arrears, promotion arrears spanning over four years, and the release of withheld cooperative deductions.
The renegotiation of the 2009 agreement has remained stalled since 2017, despite several committees set up by successive governments.
The most recent, chaired by Yayale Ahmed, submitted its report in December 2024, but implementation has yet to begin.
(Punch)
