The Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have reached a landmark agreement, bringing to an end a 16-year renegotiation crisis over the 2009 agreement.

The breakthrough followed intensive engagements between both parties and was concluded on Wednesday, with the agreement scheduled to take effect from Jan. 1, 2026. A comprehensive review of the agreement is expected after three years.

Confirming the development, Prof. Sunday Oloruntola, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University of Lagos, said the agreement marked a major turning point for Nigeria’s university system.

Oloruntola, however, expressed cautious optimism, stressing the need for peace to reign while raising concerns about effective implementation.

He disclosed that key provisions of the agreement include a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff and significantly improved pension benefits.

According to him, under the new pension structure, professors will retire at the age of 70 and receive pensions equivalent to their full annual salaries, a long-standing demand of the union.

The agreement also introduces a revamped university funding framework, with dedicated allocations for research, libraries, laboratories, equipment and staff development.

In addition, it provides for the establishment of a National Research Council to drive research initiatives nationwide, with funding pegged at a minimum of one per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The deal further reinforces university autonomy and academic freedom, while guaranteeing elected academic leadership at the level of deans and provosts, positions reserved strictly for professors.

It also includes provisions ensuring that no ASUU member will be victimised for participating in the prolonged industrial struggle.

Oloruntola said the agreement, already circulated on ASUU platforms, represents a major breakthrough after years of stalemate that had hampered the growth and stability of public universities.

“For the sake of peace, the union had to make some sacrifices. The agreement addresses critical issues of salary, pension, funding, autonomy and governance that have clogged the wheels of development in Nigerian universities,” he said.

He urged the Federal Government to demonstrate sincerity and commitment by ensuring prompt and full implementation of the agreement to avoid a recurrence of past failures.

“We expect full and prompt implementation. The Federal Government should be sincere and timely,” he emphasised.

ASUU and the Federal Government have frequently been at loggerheads over the years, a situation that has often disrupted academic activities and negatively affected students across the country.