The Federal Government has released N2.3 billion to offset the salary and promotion arrears of university lecturers in furtherance of its ongoing initiatives to revitalize the nation’s tertiary education system through sustainable reforms.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, made this disclosure on Wednesday while updating the public on the government’s ongoing engagements with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other tertiary education unions.
The minister disclosed that a total of N2.311 billion, representing Batch 8 salary and promotion arrears, had been released through the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) to universities and advised the authorities of the institution to await the payment alerts anytime from now.
Alausa added that the government was also finalizing the release of third-party non-statutory deductions and pension remittances through the Ministry of Finance and the OAGF, promising that the process will be completed soon.
He explained that the move reflected the administration’s commitment to settling inherited financial obligations within the university system and ensuring sustainable funding for education.
This is even as he hinted that starting from 2026, the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) would be fully mainstreamed into university staff salaries to ensure prompt and consistent disbursement, assuring that “this new arrangement will eliminate recurrent delays in the payment of earned allowances and promote transparency.”
Alausa also confirmed that additional funds had been released under the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities programme, with provisions in the upcoming budget to sustain the initiative.