The Federal Government has said the 2025 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which takes effect from January 2026, is designed to strengthen autonomy safeguards and stabilise Nigeria’s university system.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki I. Arabi, stated this during a visit to the University of Abuja, now renamed Yakubu Gowon University, in Gwagwalada, Abuja.
He said the agreement introduced “a 40 per cent pay rise, increased research funding and improved severance entitlements” for academic staff.
He said, “The 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement seeks to strengthen autonomy safeguards.”
He added that successive administrations had taken steps to address structural issues affecting universities, including funding gaps and governance concerns.
He said funding to universities had increased over the years and that infrastructural development had been supported through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund and other federal interventions.
On access to education, he said the implementation of the Students’ Loan Scheme was part of efforts to address financial barriers facing students.
He said, “The implementation of the Students’ Loan Scheme is a significant step towards expanding access to higher education.”
He explained that the scheme was structured to ensure that “no willing and qualified student is left behind,” while promoting sustainability in the sector.
Arabi noted that university autonomy must operate within defined governance frameworks to ensure accountability.
He said, “A system that allows institutions to manage their academic and administrative duties within clear governance frameworks is key to promoting innovation, ensuring accountability, and achieving excellence.”
He added that the government-approved payroll system was introduced to improve transparency and verify personnel records in federal institutions.
He said recent salary adjustments for senior lecturers and professors reflected government’s broader reform agenda in the education sector.
Earlier, he noted that universities remained central to national development and required sustained institutional reforms.
Responding, the Vice-Chancellor, Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, said the university was ready to collaborate with BPSR in capacity development, staff competency enhancement and postgraduate training programmes.
Signed
Aliyu Umar, FNIPR, FIIM
Head, Strategic Communication
23rd February, 2026.
