Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Federal Government on Tuesday unveiled the 2026 agreements with staff unions in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education, declaring that Nigerian students must no longer lose academic years to strikes triggered by unfulfilled government commitments. The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who unveiled the agreements in Abuja, said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was determined to end the cycle of broken promises, industrial disputes and disruptions to academic calendars that had plagued the country's tertiary education system for decades.
"During his campaign, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu promised that a four-year course would be completed in four years. Today, through his leadership, these agreements give practical expression to that pledge: A promise made, a promise kept, and trust restored," Alausa said. He declared that a four-year degree programme must be completed in four years, insisting that the Federal Government would fulfil its obligations under the newly unveiled agreements. He recalled that in the last ten years, Nigeria recorded nearly 1,700 lost academic days due to about 52 strikes by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, amounting to almost five years. "Since May 2023, that has been reduced to zero," he said, adding that a four-year degree can now be completed in four years.
The agreements cover the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, known as CATA, for the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, as well as the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance, known as CONTTA, for eligible non-teaching staff across universities, polytechnics and colleges of education. The allowances are to take effect from January 1, 2026, in line with the agreements and applicable implementation guidelines. Other unions involved in the exercise include the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, the Nigerian Association of Academic Technologists, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, the Non-Teaching Staff Union of Polytechnics and the Senior Staff Union in Colleges of Education, Nigeria. President Tinubu also ordered the payment of outstanding allowances owed to the affected workers, a directive that Alausa disclosed at the unveiling ceremony.
Alausa acknowledged that the unveiling of the agreements was only the beginning, stressing that their credibility would ultimately depend on the government's ability to implement the provisions faithfully. "Let me state clearly, on behalf of the Federal Government: We will fulfil our own part of these historic agreements. We recognise that public confidence will depend on the obligations we honour after this ceremony," he said. He recalled that previous agreements between successive governments and staff unions had been undermined by delayed, incomplete or unfulfilled commitments, leading to recurring industrial disputes. The consequences, he said, extended beyond the negotiating parties, with students losing valuable learning time, families bearing additional financial burdens and teaching and research suffering repeated setbacks.
In a move aimed at preventing future disputes over implementation, the minister announced the expansion of the existing Implementation and Monitoring Committee, established for the agreement with ASUU, into a single monitoring platform for agreements with academic and non-academic staff unions across tertiary institutions. Its membership will be broadened to accommodate the relevant unions and stakeholders, with responsibility for tracking agreed milestones, assessing progress, resolving implementation challenges and ensuring accountability through periodic reports. The committee will monitor both achievements and outstanding obligations to ensure that commitments are implemented within agreed timelines. Alausa said the government intended to identify implementation difficulties early and resolve them before they degenerated into disputes capable of disrupting academic activities.
The minister urged government agencies to discharge their responsibilities diligently, while governing councils and institutional managements were directed to maintain accurate records, comply with implementation guidelines and cooperate fully with the committee. He also urged union leaders to keep their members informed and channel emerging concerns through established mechanisms rather than resorting to industrial action. "Industrial harmony is essential to educational excellence. It gives institutions the certainty to plan, supports uninterrupted research and allows students to concentrate on their studies," he said. He cautioned union leaderships against amplifying grievances in the media, urging them to always exploit dialogue with the government now that the administration was favourably disposed to addressing all concerns.
The Chairman of the Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiation Committee, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, a former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, commended the government and the unions for reaching agreements through dialogue and mutual understanding. He said the negotiations were guided by collective bargaining, mutual respect and a willingness by both parties to accommodate each other's concerns. Ahmed urged the unions to exercise patience during implementation, noting that government processes could take time. He also called for the harmonisation of identified discrepancies in the agreements to ensure that no union felt disadvantaged. He warned that threats of industrial action should not be allowed to derail the implementation process.
The National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, commended Alausa for his role in resolving longstanding issues affecting tertiary institution workers. He said the payment of outstanding salary arrears and the implementation of the allowances had improved workers' morale. He also urged the government to ensure the full implementation of all components of the agreements, beyond the payment of allowances. He expressed optimism that the inauguration of the joint implementation and monitoring committee would facilitate the timely resolution of outstanding issues. Other stakeholders at the event acknowledged the significance of the agreements while emphasising that their success would depend on the government's willingness to implement the provisions and the unions' readiness to exercise patience.
The agreements build on the renegotiated 2025 deal between the Federal Government and ASUU, which was signed and unveiled on January 14, 2026. That agreement included a 40 per cent upward review of university academic staff emoluments effective from January 1, 2026, a Professorial Credit Allowance, and the restructuring of nine previously earned academic allowances tied strictly to duties performed. It also exempted federal tertiary institutions from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, allowing universities to process their own payrolls. The 2026 agreements extend similar provisions to polytechnics, colleges of education and non-teaching staff, completing a framework that the government says is designed to guarantee predictable academic calendars and restore confidence in public tertiary institutions.
The political context of the unveiling is significant. The 2027 general elections are less than four months away, with the presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for January 16, and the governorship and state assembly elections for February 6. President Tinubu is seeking a second term on the All Progressives Congress platform, while former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress, former Anambra Governor Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement are among the major challengers. Education has emerged as a central issue in the campaign, and the government has consistently pointed to its investments in the sector, including the Nigeria Education Loan Fund and the expansion of tertiary institutions, as evidence of its commitment to human capital development. For Nigerian students, the agreements offer the prospect of uninterrupted academic calendars and timely graduation. For the unions, they represent a measure of recognition for long-standing grievances. For the government, the coming months will determine whether the promises made on Tuesday translate into the stability that Nigerian tertiary education has long sought.
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