• Gives female lecturers six-month maternity leave • Agreement excites NANS
Retired professors in recognised public universities across the country will now be entitled to pension benefits equivalent to their annual salaries, the new agreement between the Nigerian government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated.
Specifically, the pact pointed out that an academic staff member who retires at the rank of professor will receive a pension calculated at 100 per cent of his or her yearly salary, marking a significant improvement in post-service welfare for senior academics.
The agreement, however, stipulates that only professors who served uninterruptedly in a recognised university until reaching the mandatory retirement age will qualify.
The 35-page document, obtained by The Guardian, also fixed the retirement age for the professorial cadre at 70 years.
Section 3.6 of the agreement, which addresses pension entitlements for university academic staff, pension fund administration and compulsory retirement age, states: “An academic staff member who retires as a professor in a recognised university shall be entitled to pension at a rate equivalent to his annual salary provided that the professor has served continuously in a recognised university up to the retirement age.”
Stakeholders, who spoke at the unveiling of the agreement on Wednesday in Abuja, said the provisions were aimed at rewarding decades of teaching, research and administrative service rendered by professors, while also boosting morale within the university system.
According to them, it is expected to encourage career progression and help retain experienced scholars and checkmate the Japa syndrome plaguing the country’s tertiary institutions.
In 2025, ASUU had raised the alarm that no fewer than 309 professors had left the country’s public university system in one month.
Also, Section 3.4 of the agreement, which focuses on ‘Non-salary conditions of service’, makes provision for six-month maternity leave as fringe benefits.
“Qualified female academic staff shall be entitled to a maternity leave of six months as provided in the subsisting Public Service Rules,” Section 3.4(vii) reads.
The Guardian reports that a defining feature of the agreement is the introduction of a new Professorial Cadre Allowance for full-time professors and readers. Under the arrangement, professors will receive N1.74 million per annum, equivalent to N140,000 monthly, while Readers will earn N840,000 per annum, or N70,000 monthly.
Speaking at the presentation of the renegotiated agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, described the agreement as a historic turning point that symbolises renewed trust, restored confidence and a firm commitment to uninterrupted academic calendars in Nigerian universities.
MEANWHILE, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) for signing a new agreement aimed at restoring stability and improving quality in Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
A statement signed by Michael Oyewole, the Chief Press Secretary to NANS President, Olushola Oladoja, quoted him as saying that the agreement marks a fresh direction for Nigeria’s tertiary education system.
Oladoja described the agreement as a landmark development that would improve welfare for academic staff and ensure an uninterrupted academic calendar for students.
