A 40% increase in the Consolidated Academic Allowance (CAA) for lecturers at federal universities is one of the major welfare provisions that the Federal Government has started implementing as part of the recently renegotiated 2025 agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of Education, revealed this on Monday in a formal statement and directive sent to federal university vice-chancellors.
This most recent step comes after months of discussions to prevent more strikes and improve conditions in the nation’s public tertiary institutions culminated in the signing of the updated agreement on January 14, 2026.
“By authorizing the 40% increase in the consolidated academic allowance (CAA) for ASUU members, which will take effect on January 1, 2026, the Federal Government has fulfilled its obligation under the agreement,” Alausa said.
Some federal universities have already started making wage changes to reflect the increase in allowances, and others are anticipated to do the same, the Minister indicated.
Vice-chancellors nationwide have now been officially instructed to incorporate the raise into their payroll systems in order to guarantee that qualified academic employees get the increased compensation as soon as possible.
To guarantee consistent implementation across the country, we are working. Alausa continued, “All VCs have been informed and are required to cooperate immediately.
The Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), which is non-taxable and already included in the federal budget for 2026, is another necessary program that the Minister emphasized must be implemented in addition to the CAA.
He claims that the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) has also issued a circular about the allowance, which has been handled via the required statutory channels.
“The timely implementation of both the CAA and CATA will improve teaching, research, and learning outcomes across Nigerian universities, strengthen the academic environment, and increase staff morale,” Alausa said.
The Education Minister reaffirmed the administration’s resolve to uphold agreements made with education sector stakeholders, emphasizing that the action is consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to Alausa, “transparency, industrial harmony, and quantifiable improvements in the quality of higher education are our main priorities.”
Since ASUU had repeatedly blamed inadequate financing and unfulfilled agreements for its repeated strikes, the adoption of the updated allowances represents a major step in resolving long-standing complaints within the university system.
The government anticipates that the actions will boost academic productivity in all of the country’s postsecondary institutions in addition to promoting industrial harmony.
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