The Federal Government has stated that the 2025 agreement signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is aimed at strengthening university autonomy while promoting long-term stability in Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Arabi, made this known during a working visit to Yakubu Gowon University in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Arabi explained that the agreement, which is scheduled to take effect from January 2026, provides for a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff, improved research funding, and enhanced severance entitlements. He noted that the deal is structured to reinforce autonomy safeguards within universities, while addressing longstanding structural challenges such as funding gaps and governance issues.
According to him, successive administrations have demonstrated commitment to revitalising the education sector through increased budgetary allocations and infrastructural support, including interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and other federal initiatives.
On expanding access to higher education, Arabi highlighted the Student Loan Scheme as a major policy initiative designed to remove financial barriers for indigent students. He described the scheme as a critical step toward ensuring that qualified students are not denied access due to economic constraints, while also promoting sustainability within the system.
He, however, stressed that autonomy must be balanced with accountability. While universities should have the freedom to manage their academic and administrative affairs to encourage innovation and efficiency, they must operate within established governance and regulatory frameworks.
Arabi further noted that the introduction of a government-approved payroll system across federal institutions was intended to enhance transparency and ensure accurate verification of personnel records.
He added that recent salary adjustments for senior lecturers and professors reflect the government’s broader reform agenda to reposition the education sector as a key driver of national development.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Hakeem Fawehinmi, expressed the institution’s willingness to collaborate with the BPSR in advancing reforms and strengthening institutional governance.
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