Budgetary personnel allocations to some federal universities in the country have recorded a substantial increase following the Federal Government’s approval of a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff and the introduction of new and enhanced allowance packages, Saturday PUNCH findings have shown.
An analysis of the Federal Government’s 2026 budget estimates revealed that personnel cost allocations to the top 20 federal universities rose from N438.85bn in 2025 to N533.1bn in 2026, indicating an increase of N94.25bn, or about 22 per cent within one fiscal year.
On Wednesday, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities finally reached an agreement, ending a 16-year deadlock over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement and raising expectations of improved welfare, funding stability, and industrial harmony in Nigeria’s university system.
As part of the agreement, the Federal Government approved a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers across federal institutions, alongside the creation of a new professorial cadre allowance, which will grant university professors a monthly top-up of over N140,000.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said the government had already made provisions to fund the enhanced remuneration package.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Alausa explained that the funding covered both the salary adjustment and the restructuring of academic allowances.
He said, “A professor will now receive a monthly top-up of over N140,000, as President Tinubu has approved a new category of allowance for academic staff, known as the professorial cadre allowance, which is an enhanced additional package.
“Today, we have the funding to support the 40 per cent salary increase granted to our lecturers across all institutions, as well as the nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances, which are now properly structured.”
He added that the allowances captured under the agreement had been clearly defined, addressing long-standing demands by the lecturers’ union.
In the 2026 budget, the Federal Government allocated N3.52tn to education, representing 6.1 per cent of the N58.18tn national budget.
A breakdown of the education vote showed that N113.764bn was earmarked for major targeted education interventions, N42bn for the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and N35bn to tackle the out-of-school children crisis.
“Today, we have the funding to support the 40 per cent salary increase granted to our lecturers across all institutions, as well as the nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances, which are now properly structured.”
He added that the allowances captured under the agreement had been clearly defined, addressing long-standing demands by the lecturers’ union.
In the 2026 budget, the Federal Government allocated N3.52tn to education, representing 6.1 per cent of the N58.18tn national budget.
A breakdown of the education vote showed that N113.764bn was earmarked for major targeted education interventions, N42bn for the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme and N35bn to tackle the out-of-school children crisis.
