The Federal Government will on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, formally sign an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities after weeks of negotiations.
The development is coming after the union accepted the Federal Government’s proposed 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff last month.
A circular issued by the Ministry of Education invited Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of federal universities to attend the signing ceremony.
The event is scheduled to hold at 11:00 a.m. at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall, Abuja.
The circular, dated January 5, 2026, and referenced FME/IS/UNI/ASUU/C.11/Vol.V/82, was signed by the Director of University Education, Rakiya Ilyasu, on behalf of the Minister of Education.
It was titled Invitation to the Ceremony for the Signing of Agreement Between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The circular was sighted by our correspondent on Saturday and confirmed by the Director of Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the circular, “This signing represents a critical milestone in promoting industrial harmony and improving teaching and learning in our universities.
“It also reaffirms the Federal Government’s commitment to the sustainable development of education in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.”
Attendance at the ceremony was declared mandatory for all invited university administrators, underlining the importance attached to the agreement and its implementation.
The signing follows the resolution of an industrial dispute that had lingered for about 16 years after the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU agreement.
Under the new deal, which takes effect from January 1, 2026, the 40 per cent salary increase will be reviewed after three years.
The agreement also provides that professors will earn a pension equivalent to their final annual salary upon retirement at the age of 70.
It further includes the establishment of a National Research Council to fund research with at least one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
Other provisions cover improved funding for libraries, laboratories, equipment and staff development, increased university autonomy, and the election of academic leaders, with only professors eligible to serve as deans and provosts.
The agreement also guarantees that no staff member who participated in previous industrial actions will be victimised.
