The Federal Government has released the sum of ₦2.3 billion to clear salary and promotion arrears owed to lecturers in public universities.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while giving updates on ongoing engagements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary unions.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu remains committed to resolving outstanding welfare and funding disputes in “a transparent, fair and sustainable manner.”
A statement by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, quoted Alausa as saying, “A total of ₦2.311 billion, representing Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears, has been released through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to universities. Benefiting institutions should begin to receive payment alerts anytime from now.”
Alausa explained that the government had also approved the full mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowances into university salaries from 2026, to ensure “prompt, predictable, and sustainable payments.”
He added that the Ministry of Finance and the OAGF were finalising the release of non-statutory deductions and pension remittances, expected “in the coming days.”
Funds have also been released under the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities scheme, with budgetary provisions to sustain the intervention, he noted.
Alausa said, “The Federal Ministry of Education assures that these engagements are being conducted truthfully and in good faith.
“However, while the government remains committed to improving staff welfare, it will only enter into agreements that are realistic and financially sustainable.”
He stressed that the Yayale Ahmed Committee continues to serve as a bridge between government and the unions to resolve welfare issues through “honest and respectful dialogue.”
Despite the announcement, some lecturers told Punch on Wednesday night that October salaries had not been paid.
A lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said, “I can speak with all authority that the October salaries have not been paid, so we are surprised at the announcement by the ministry.”
Another at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, described the delays as becoming “a trend,” lamenting that the government now withholds salaries “without any reason.”
A branch chairman of ASUU in a northern federal university added, “We have not received a dime, not even our salaries.”
ASUU has been locked in disputes with the government over demands for withheld salaries, arrears, and revitalisation funds. The union recently suspended a two-week warning strike after interventions by the Nigeria Labour Congress and the National Assembly.
The lecturers are pressing for implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, payment of three-and-a-half months’ withheld salaries, revitalisation of public universities, and settlement of promotion arrears spanning over four years.
The Yayale Ahmed-led committee submitted its renegotiation report in December 2024, but implementation has yet to begin.
Alausa reiterated that the Tinubu administration would not enter into agreements it cannot sustain.
“Our priority is to ensure that all matters are addressed responsibly and in the best interest of our education system,” he said, emphasising that commitments must align with budgetary provisions to guarantee long-term stability.
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