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FG disburses ₦2.3bn to clear salary and promotion arrears for university lecturers.
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Education Minister reaffirms Tinubu’s commitment to end long-standing disputes with ASUU.
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Lecturers, however, claim salaries remain unpaid despite ministry’s announcement.
The Federal Government (FG) has approved and released ₦2.3 billion to settle outstanding salary and promotion arrears owed to university lecturers across the country.
Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Wednesday while giving updates on ongoing engagements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary unions.
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In a statement signed by the Director of Press at the Ministry of Education, Mrs Folasade Boriowo, the minister said the release represents Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears and is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to clear inherited wage backlogs in the education sector.
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Alausa noted that the funds were processed through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, adding that universities should begin receiving payment alerts soon.
He further revealed that the government, through the Ministry of Finance, is finalising the release of non-statutory deductions and pension remittances to address pending welfare obligations.
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According to him, the administration has approved the full mainstreaming of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) into lecturers’ salaries starting from 2026 to ensure predictable and timely payments going forward.
The minister also assured that government engagements with unions are being handled transparently and in good faith. “The Federal Ministry of Education remains committed to sustainable welfare agreements that align with available fiscal resources,” he said.
Meanwhile, some lecturers told Gistsmate that October 2025 salaries have not been paid despite the government’s announcement. Lecturers from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, expressed disappointment over what they described as “unjustifiable delays” in salary disbursements.
Efforts to reach ASUU President, Prof Chris Piwuna, for comments were unsuccessful, but a union branch chairman confirmed that members have yet to receive payments.
ASUU has repeatedly demanded the settlement of withheld salaries, arrears, and revitalisation funds under the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement, arguing that government neglect continues to cripple public universities.
