After sixteen years of extended negotiations, the Tutorial Employees Union of Universities and the Federal Authorities of Nigeria have formally signed a brand new Treaty, bringing closure to talks that originated from the 2009 pact.
ASUU President, Chris Piwuna, mentioned whereas important progress has been made, a number of vital points affecting the college system stay unresolved and require pressing consideration.
The Treaty follows the work of the Yayale Ahmed–led renegotiation committee, inaugurated in 2024, marking the primary complete and correctly concluded negotiation course of because the late Professor Gabriel Onosode chaired the unique talks on the Nationwide Universities Fee in 2009.
Key parts of the newly signed Treaty embody a forty p.c upward assessment of lecturers’ salaries, a structured Earned Tutorial Allowance framework, the introduction of a ₦140,000 month-to-month Professorial Cadre Allowance, and commitments in direction of a Analysis Funding Invoice for universities.
Regardless of the breakthrough, ASUU mentioned unresolved issues persist. These embody alleged encroachment on college autonomy, irregular appointment of vice-chancellors, and misappropriation of funds by some college managements.
Whereas paperwork reflecting the Treaty signed in 2025 have been formally unveiled on the occasion, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Mohammed Dingyadi, issued a warning that signing ceremonies can be meaningless if agreed phrases will not be carried out inside stipulated timelines.
As ASUU and the Federal Authorities mark what they describe as a serious milestone, consideration is already shifting to the calls for of non-teaching college workers, whose unresolved grievances might pose the following problem for the Minister of Schooling, Tunji Alausa, and his group.
Piwuna appealed to the Minister of Schooling, Tunji Alausa, to convey the cruel {economic} realities dealing with Nigerians to the Federal Govt Council.
He expressed the image of the nation’s {economic} scenario, urging the minister to relay the struggles of odd residents to his cupboard colleagues.
“Honourable ministers, once you go to the following Federal Govt Council, please inform your colleagues that the {economic} scenario on this nation continues to be exhausting, that meals are exhausting to come back by, that transportation continues to be a problem, households are struggling to maintain physique and soul collectively,” Piwuna acknowledged.
Nonetheless, Piwuna acknowledged enhancements within the nation’s safety scenario, commending safety businesses for his or her current efforts.
“Inform these answerable for safety that we have now observed that they’re up now and doing. Honourable minister, we would like you to inform your colleagues within the safety that we have now observed that they’re up and doing and they’re doing their greatest and we help them and we would like them to do higher,” he mentioned.
Commenting additional, Piwuna prolonged an invite to Dr Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Coverage and Tax Reforms, to attend ASUU’s subsequent Nationwide Govt Council assembly in Abuja.
“You made a promise to us, honourable minister, to me, since you have been chatting with me that day, and I wish to take it up now, that by means of you, we’re extending an invite to the Chairman of the Federal Fiscal Coverage and Tax Reforms, Dr Taiwo Oyedele, to our subsequent Nationwide Govt Council assembly, holding right here in Abuja,” Piwuna mentioned.
The ASUU president defined that the union believes it has helpful concepts to share with Oyedele on enhancing the tax reform course of.
“We consider we have now a number of concepts to share with him, how he can do his work higher. We predict he can help us, we are able to help him. We’ll ask him questions and we wish to know what these reforms is all about,” he acknowledged.
The 2025 Treaty unveiled at Wednesday’s ceremony marks the fruits of a renegotiation course of that started in 2017 to assessment the 2009 Federal Authorities-ASUU pact. The breakthrough got here below the present administration, which inaugurated the Yayale Ahmed-led renegotiation committee in October 2024.
The Treaty focuses on improved situations of service, funding, college autonomy, educational freedom, and broader reforms aimed toward reversing sectoral decay, curbing mind drain, and repositioning universities for nationwide improvement.
On the identical occasion, Piwuna raised issues over alleged mismanagement of funds and governance weaknesses in some universities, warning that weak governance constructions have been undermining accountability, stability, and educational requirements.
He additionally criticised promotion practices in some newly-established federal universities of schooling, alleging that due course of and established requirements for professorial appointments have been being compromised.
The ASUU president referred to as on vice-chancellors of affected establishments to urgently assessment such promotions to guard the integrity of the college system.
Alausa, whereas talking on a tv programme monitored on Wednesday night time, disclosed that “A professor will now obtain a month-to-month top-up of over ₦140,000, as President Tinubu has created a brand new class of allowance for educational workers, referred to as the “professorial cadre” allowance—an enhanced extra package deal.”
He added, “Right now, we have now the funding to help the 40% wage improve granted to our lecturers throughout all our establishments, in addition to the 9 enhanced Earned Tutorial Allowances, which at the moment are properly structured.