The Federal Government is preparing to formally execute an agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities after several weeks of negotiations between both parties.
The move is believed to be connected to the 40 per cent salary increment for academic staff proposed by the FG last month and subsequently accepted by the union.
A circular released by the Ministry of Education invited Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of federal universities to attend the signing ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Conference Hall, Abuja.
The circular, dated January 5, 2026, and bearing the reference 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 document was sighted by our correspondent on Saturday and later confirmed by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, 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 compulsory for all invited university administrators, underscoring the significance attached to the agreement and its enforcement.
Last month, the prolonged industrial dispute that had weighed down Nigeria’s university system for 16 years following the 2009 Federal Government–ASUU Agreement saw the union accept the Federal Government’s proposed 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff.
Reports indicated that the agreement, effective from January 1, 2026, would be subject to review after three years.
Under the revised terms, professors will receive a pension equal to their final annual salary upon retirement at age 70. The agreement also provides for the creation of a National Research Council to finance research with no less than one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
Additional provisions include enhanced 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 pact further guarantees that no staff member involved in previous industrial actions will be victimised.
