RismadarVoice Reporters
January 22, ,2026
University lecturers across the country have called on the Federal Government to adopt a sustainable funding framework for the newly approved pension scheme for professors, similar to those enjoyed by retired permanent secretaries, judges and military generals, who receive pensions equivalent to their last salaries in service.
The call follows the recently signed agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which provides for a 40 per cent salary increase, improved academic earned allowances and enhanced welfare packages for lecturers. Under the agreement, senior professors are to receive a monthly allowance of N140,000, while associate professors will earn N70,000 monthly.
A major highlight of the agreement is the provision guaranteeing professors who retire at the statutory age of 70 a pension equivalent to their full annual salary at retirement. While stakeholders believe the agreement could significantly reduce the industrial actions that have plagued Nigeria’s university system for decades, concerns have emerged over the long-term sustainability of the pension provision without a clearly defined funding mechanism.
Speaking with journalists on Thursday, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of Edo State University, Iyamho, Professor Ben Ugheoke, noted that professors would not be the first category of public servants to benefit from such an arrangement. He urged the Federal Government to be deliberate and transparent in implementing the new salary and pension structure.
“Judges and permanent secretaries already retire on pensions equivalent to their full salaries. The question is how those schemes are implemented and whether the same model can be applied to retired professors,” Ugheoke said.
Offering a different perspective, Dr Hashim Suleiman, a senior lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, dismissed concerns over the government’s capacity to fund the agreement, describing them as exaggerated.
According to him, the new deal marks a clear departure from past administrations’ neglect of academics. “The fears are far-fetched. This government has broken the long-standing trend of taking academics for granted,” he said, adding that similar retirement packages already exist for generals and political office holders.
Also speaking, Dr Oboromemi Weinoh of the Department of Public Administration, National Open University of Nigeria, Abuja, urged Nigerians to give the Federal Government the benefit of the doubt. She described the agreement as commendable and expressed optimism about its full implementation.
“The provision of lifetime salaries for professors is not a new precedent, as permanent secretaries and judges already enjoy similar arrangements. I believe the government carefully considered the funding implications before signing the agreement,” she said.
