After nearly 15 years of protracted negotiations, industrial actions and mutual distrust, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have finally signed a new agreement to replace the controversial 2009 FGN–ASUU pact.
ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, confirmed the development, saying the agreement was formally signed on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, following intense negotiations between the union and the government’s renegotiation team.
A memo dated December 24 and addressed to ASUU zonal and branch leaders nationwide also confirmed the breakthrough.
“We now have a signed agreement. I can’t say more than that because there are still processes to follow to ensure that the contents are implemented to the letter,” Piwuna told DevReporting.
Major Breakthrough After Years of Deadlock
The 2009 agreement was due for renegotiation in 2012, but successive governments failed to conclude the process, resulting in repeated strikes between 2020 and 2025 and the constitution of multiple renegotiation committees.
The current renegotiation team — the fifth in the series — was set up following a warning strike earlier in 2025 and chaired by former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mallam Yayale Ahmed.
ASUU credited Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, for playing a decisive role in the final phase of negotiations.
What the New Agreement Contains
According to the memo signed by Prof. Piwuna, the agreement takes effect from January 1, 2026 and will be reviewed after three years. It covers:
- 40 per cent upward review of lecturers’ salaries
- Improved pension provisions, granting professors a pension equivalent to their annual salary at retirement (age 70)
- A new funding template recognising university peculiarities, with dedicated allocations for libraries, laboratories, research, equipment and staff development
- Establishment of a National Research Council (NRC) to fund research with at least 1% of Nigeria’s GDP
- Stronger provisions on university autonomy and academic freedom
- Election of Deans, Provosts and Heads of Postgraduate Schools, with only professors eligible to contest
The agreement also guarantees that no academic staff will be victimised for participating in the renegotiation process.
ASUU Plans Legal Backing
ASUU is also preparing to lodge the agreement in court to make it legally binding on successive administrations.
The union is expected to meet its lead counsel, human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), to review the document and ensure its justiciability.
“We will ensure the mistakes that undermined the 2009 agreement are not repeated,” a union source said.
Next Steps
The renegotiation committee is scheduled to submit the signed agreement to the Minister of Education on January 14, 2026, after which it will be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for further directives.
Education stakeholders have described the development as a potential turning point for Nigeria’s troubled university system, with hopes that it will bring stability, improve funding, stem brain drain and end the cycle of prolonged strikes.
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