Professors to Receive ₦140,000 Monthly Top-Up in New ASUU Deal

Professors to Receive ₦140,000 Monthly Top-Up in New ASUU Deal

The long wait is over. On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) signed a historic agreement that fundamentally changes the remuneration landscape for Nigerian academics. Professors to Receive ₦140,000 Monthly Top-Up in New ASUU Deal, effectively ending a 16-year deadlock that has plagued the nation’s tertiary institutions.

This isn’t just a promise. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, confirmed that the deal includes an immediate 40% salary increase for all academic staff, retroactive to January 1, 2026. The new “Professorial Cadre Allowance” specifically targets the highest echelon of academia, ensuring that full-time professors pocket an additional ₦1.74 million to ₦1.8 million annually.

For students tired of incessant strikes, this is the news you’ve been praying for.

Table of Contents

The Context: Why This Matters Now

To understand the magnitude of this deal, we must look back. The last major agreement was signed in 2009. Since then, the university system has been defined by instability.

Broken promises became the norm.

Several renegotiation committees—led by Wale Babalakin, Munzali Jibrin, and the late Nimi Briggs—attempted to broker peace but failed. Their reports often gathered dust, leading to frustrating cycles of industrial action that kept students at home for months.

The game changed in late 2024. The Tinubu administration inaugurated a new committee chaired by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed. Unlike its predecessors, this committee delivered. After 14 months of intense negotiation, they produced a document that both the government and the union were willing to sign.

The Analysis: Breaking Down the Numbers

Let’s get into the specifics. The headline figure is the top-up, but the deal is multi-layered.

The Professorial Cadre Allowance: This is a new creation. Full-time Professors will receive a monthly top-up of approximately ₦140,000 (totaling roughly ₦1.8 million per year). Readers are not left out; they will receive a monthly top-up of about ₦70,000 (₦840,000 per annum).
40% General Salary Increase: This applies to all academic staff, not just professors. It is implemented through the newly introduced Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA).
What is CATA? This allowance covers the actual tools lecturers need: journal publications, conference participation, internet access, and professional membership fees. It replaces the vague promises of the past with a concrete line item in the salary structure.
Earned Academic Allowances (EAA): The agreement restructures nine previously contentious allowances. They are now tied strictly to duties performed—such as postgraduate supervision and clinical duties—to ensure transparency.

Key Data Points:

Effective Date: January 1, 2026.
Professors’ Top-Up: ~₦140,000/month.
Readers’ Top-Up: ~₦70,000/month.
General Increase: 40% via CATA.

Expert Opinions: A Rare Consensus

The atmosphere at the signing ceremony in Abuja was one of cautious optimism.

The Government’s Stance: Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, emphasized that funding is already secured. “When the President was convinced that he had the funding, he signed off,” Alausa stated. “Today we have the funding to support the 40% salary increase that we’ve given our lecturers in all our tertiary institutions.”

The Union’s Perspective: ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, who took the mantle in May 2025, described the agreement as a product of resilience. While he commended the Yayale Ahmed committee, he didn’t mince words about the remaining challenges.

“This agreement focused on conditions of service, funding, and university autonomy,” Piwuna noted. However, he warned that “government’s persistent encroachment into the autonomy of the universities” remains a threat to long-term stability.

It’s a double-edged sword. The money is good, but the fight for administrative freedom continues.

Future Outlook: What This Means for Students

The immediate impact is stability. With the financial demands largely met, the risk of a strike in the first half of 2026 has plummeted.

Students can breathe easier.

However, execution is everything. The circular backing these payments was released on December 30, 2025, but Nigerian bureaucracy is legendary for its bottlenecks. If the payments hit bank accounts as scheduled this January, the trust deficit between ASUU and the FG will begin to shrink.

If delays occur, tensions could flare again.

For now, the campus gates remain open. The bottom line is that Nigerian professors are finally getting a pay structure that begins to reflect their value, and that is a win for the entire education sector.

Related Multimedia

For a visual breakdown of the initial proposal that led to this breakthrough, watch this report:

FG Offers ASUU 40% Pay Rise To Avert Nationwide Strike

This video provides essential context on the negotiations that culminated in the signed agreement.