FG Approves ₦1.8m Annual Allowance for University Professors, ₦870,000 for Readers

The Federal Government has approved new annual allowances for lecturers in Nigerian universities, with full-time professors set to receive an additional ₦1.8 million and full-time readers (also known as associate professors) will receive  ₦870,000.

The new benefit, described as a professorial cadre allowance, applies exclusively to academics within the professorial and readership ranks in federal universities. It is intended to recognise the seniority, research workload and administrative responsibilities carried by lecturers at the highest levels of the university system.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the approval on Wednesday in Abuja during the presentation of a renegotiated agreement between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The agreement is the outcome of sustained engagements between both parties over lecturers’ welfare and other long-standing issues affecting public universities.

According to Alausa, the allowance forms part of broader government efforts to improve conditions of service for university lecturers and ensure stability in the academic calendar. He said the administration is committed to addressing welfare concerns that have historically triggered industrial disputes in the education sector.

“The role of senior academics in teaching, research, innovation and mentorship cannot be overstated. This allowance is aimed at acknowledging their contributions and responsibilities within the system,” the minister said.

For decades, ASUU has repeatedly raised concerns over poor remuneration, unpaid earned allowances, inadequate funding of universities and the exodus of experienced academics to institutions abroad. These issues have often led to prolonged strikes, disrupting academic activities across federal universities.

Education stakeholders say the introduction of a professorial cadre allowance could help improve morale among senior lecturers and slow the growing brain drain that has weakened Nigeria’s higher education sector in recent years.

While ASUU has yet to issue an official response to the announcement, the union has consistently maintained that meaningful investment in lecturers’ welfare is essential to restoring the quality, competitiveness and global relevance of Nigerian universities.

The Federal Government said modalities for the implementation of the allowance, including timelines and funding arrangements, will be communicated to universities through the appropriate regulatory bodies.