ASUU has agreed to a 40 per cent salary increase and endorsed comprehensive reforms in university funding, governance, and staff welfare, potentially ending months of dispute with the Federal Government.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has softened its stance in the protracted wage dispute with the Federal Government by agreeing to a 40 per cent salary increase, signaling a possible resolution to months of negotiations and averting fresh industrial action. ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna, in a signed document, confirmed the union’s readiness to adopt the revised pay alongside other negotiated improvements covering university funding, autonomy, governance, and staff welfare.
“Appointments of vice-chancellors…must be strictly merit-based, discarding proposals for host-community-based selections,” the agreement states, while also ensuring internal elections for heads of departments and deans, and recruitment policies promoting national and international inclusion. Funding reforms include a needs-based budgeting model, support for research initiatives, protection of university assets, and innovative revenue options. Operational changes will tie promotions to research productivity, limit pre-degree programmes to specific disciplines, and grant duty-free import privileges for educational materials. With branch leaders set to brief members, the agreement awaits final ratification, positioning Nigeria’s higher education sector for stability after fears of imminent strikes following ASUU’s recent ultimatum.