The Federal Government has proposed a 40% salary increase for university lecturers in ongoing talks with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The offer was tabled during a National Executive Council meeting attended by ASUU leaders on Sunday, where the union agreed to continue discussions with the government team led by chief negotiator Yayale Ahmed.
ASUU’s resumed engagement will be handled by a government delegation chaired by Yayale Ahmed alongside representatives from the education and labour ministries.
“They made a proposal of a 40% salary increment. Branch leaders will go back and update members on the situation. As it stands, negotiations continue with the government next week,” a source said.
ASUU’s one-month strike ultimatum expired last Saturday, raising anxiety across Nigerian public universities. In a bid to prevent industrial action, government officials had summoned ASUU for closed-door meetings in Abuja that ran from Monday into Tuesday.
Neither side made the session details public, citing “strict rules governing the negotiation process.”
The union has repeatedly criticised the government’s handling of its demands, accusing it of “nonchalant” posture toward long-standing agreements. Core issues include the 2009 government-union pact, unpaid salary arrears, earned academic allowances, and the release of the university revitalisation fund.
The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who is currently out of the country, earlier maintained that negotiations were progressing under the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to avoid disruption to campus activities.
“As I told you, the President has mandated us that he doesn’t want ASUU to go on strike, and we’re doing everything humanly possible to ensure that our students stay in school. The last strike they went on for about six days was not really needed. We’ve met literally all their requirements and are back at the negotiation table. We will resolve this,” Alausa said.
Labour has waded into the dispute, with the Nigeria Labour Congress pledging to back the lecturers. The union body said it will “rally behind the academic community” if talks collapse.
Union insiders believe the 40% offer could shift the tone of negotiations, but insist nothing is settled until commitments are fully implemented. For now, campuses remain calm but cautious, with no certainty that a strike has been permanently ruled out.
