RismadarVoice Reporters
January 15, 2026
The Federal Government has introduced a new professorial cadre allowance that will see university professors receive a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000, as part of a broader package that includes a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers across federal tertiary institutions.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today.
The development follows a historic 2025 agreement reached earlier on Wednesday between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ending a 16-year stalemate over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement.
The agreement, which was formally presented in Abuja by the Minister of Education, is expected to usher in improved welfare for academic staff, increased funding, and greater stability in Nigeria’s university system.
Alausa described the agreement as a major milestone for the tertiary education sector and a clear demonstration of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to delivering quality, accessible and uninterrupted university education.
According to the minister, the agreement clearly defines, structures nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances (EAAs), alongside the newly introduced professorial cadre allowance.
“A professor will now receive a monthly top-up of over ₦140,000, as President Tinubu has created a new category of allowance for academic staff, known as the professorial cadre allowance, an enhanced additional package,” Alausa said.
He added that the Federal Government now has the financial capacity to sustain the salary increase and allowances across institutions.
“Today, we have the funding to support the 40 per cent salary increase granted to our lecturers across all our institutions, as well as the nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances, which are now well structured,” he stated.
The Minister assured that the agreement would not merely be symbolic but fully implemented, stressing that its true value lies in execution rather than signing.
“Before today, we had already started implementation. The Chairman of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and the President worked several hours between December 20, 29 and 30 to ensure that the circular to back up the workers’ welfare component of the agreement was released. The circular has been released,” he said.
Alausa further revealed that President Tinubu insisted on confirming the availability of funds before approving the agreement.
“When we were negotiating the agreement, the President said, ‘I will not give you the go-ahead to sign an agreement I know I will not implement.’ Once he was convinced that the funding was available, he signed off,” the minister added.
He noted that the enhanced Earned Academic Allowances have now been clearly structured, enabling academic staff to understand eligibility, payment components and associated costs.
The Federal Government said implementation has commenced with ASUU, signaling what it described as a new era of trust, accountability and stability in Nigeria’s university education system.
