“We’ve Released ₦2.3bn to Clear Lecturers’ Arrears”—FG

The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the release of ₦2.3 billion to clear outstanding salary and promotion arrears owed to lecturers in public universities across the country.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while giving updates on the government’s ongoing engagements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary institution unions.

Alausa said the move underscores President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s determination to address long-standing welfare and funding challenges in Nigeria’s university system. According to him, the ₦2.3 billion, representing Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears, has been released through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to various universities.

“Benefiting institutions should begin to receive payment alerts anytime from now,” the minister said in a statement issued by the Director of Press at the Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo.

He further revealed that the Federal Government is finalising the release of outstanding third-party deductions and pension remittances in the coming days.

Alausa also announced that the government has approved the full mainstreaming of the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) into university salaries beginning from 2026 — a move aimed at ensuring predictable and timely payments. Additionally, funds have been released under the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities initiative, with budgetary provisions made to sustain it.

“The government is committed to improving staff welfare, but it will only enter into agreements that are realistic and financially sustainable,” Alausa said, stressing that all commitments must align with available budgetary provisions to ensure long-term stability.

He noted that the Yayale Ahmed Negotiating Committee continues to serve as a bridge between the Federal Government and tertiary unions, ensuring that welfare issues are addressed through honest and respectful dialogue.

Despite the announcement, several lecturers who spoke to The PUNCH expressed disappointment, saying their October 2025 salaries remain unpaid. A lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, said, “We are surprised at the announcement because no one has received any payment yet.”

Another lecturer from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, described the government’s delay in paying salaries as “a disturbing trend.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has been in prolonged contention with the Federal Government over unpaid salaries, promotion arrears, and the implementation of the renegotiated 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.

The union recently suspended a two-week warning strike after interventions from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)and the National Assembly. However, lecturers continue to demand the payment of withheld three-and-a-half-month salaries, revitalisation funds for universities, and improved funding for tertiary education.

The most recent renegotiation committee report, chaired by Yayale Ahmed, was submitted in December 2024 but is yet to be implemented.

Dr. Alausa reiterated that President Tinubu’s administration remains focused on sustainable reforms that will improve the working and learning conditions in Nigeria’s universities, while ensuring fiscal discipline and accountability in education funding.