WITH a new agreement signed between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to replace the contentious 2009 pact between both parties, Nigerians expect peace to reign in the university system henceforth, and the institutions of higher learning to begin delivering the objectives of their establishment beyond merely churning out graduates at intervals.

For close to two decades now, the university system has been in turmoil over the Federal Government’s failure to honour an agreement reached with ASUU in 2009 to overhaul the universities by addressing funding, workers’ conditions of service, and the autonomy of the higher schools. Essentially, because the university teachers perceived a lack of willingness on the part of the government to implement the pact, the issue has become a major source of frequent conflict between the two parties.

This has led to intermittent strikes, which disrupted the academic calendar, prolonged the number of years students are supposed to spend in school, placed an additional financial burden on parents and guardians, and frustrated the higher education aspirations of many current and prospective students. The period of this unfortunate crisis, which straddled several administrations, was also characterised by the government’s invocation of the ‘no-work no-pay rule’, under which ASUU members endured non-payment of their salaries and other entitlements for long periods. During this period, too, the country missed some crucial roles the universities are expected to play in national development.

Now that the conflict is either believed or perceived to have been resolved with a new pact that will hopefully be implemented, Nigerians crave integrity on the part of the government to honour the deal, and a sense of responsibility on the part of the teachers to make it work for a peaceful university system and greater contributions of the institutions to realisation of national development aspirations.

Indeed, as alleged by ASUU, there were indications of insincerity on the part of the government to make the now-discarded 2009 agreement work. The pact compelled a review every three years, which became due in 2012, but it was consistently delayed despite protests by ASUU. For years, this created uncertainty in the universities. While the worrisome situation persisted, the government, instead of honouring the deal, inaugurated multiple committees, particularly between 2017 and 2022, chaired by Wale Babalakin (SAN), Munzali Jibrin, and Nimi Briggs, to renegotiate the 2009 agreement. Unfortunately, none of the engagements resulted in the signing of any new pact. The Briggs committee managed to come up with a draft in 2021, but it was not implemented. And it was back to square one.

In 2024, the government made a new attempt by setting up another committee, headed by Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, to continue the dialogue on the renegotiation of the pact. By this time, the confidence of ASUU in the government had waned to the extent that while Ahmed was at the negotiation table with the university teachers, the union served a two-week warning strike in October 2025. The threat of industrial action, even amid talks with the government, put pressure on the negotiators on the government side. Fortunately, it was a success story when, after about 14 months of engagement with the lecturers, the Ahmed panel reached a consensus with ASUU, which culminated in the signing of the new agreement on December 23, 2025. Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, formally unveiled the new agreement on January 14, 2025. He said it would take immediate effect.

The new pact, described as a landmark in resolving the 16-year crisis, will see ASUU members enjoy a 40 per cent pay rise, effective January 1, 2026. It also adopted a new framework for paying the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), and introduced a new annual allowance of N1.7 million for professors and N840,000 for readers. The Federal Government is committed to injecting N30 billion into its universities yearly as a stabilisation fund. On autonomy of the institutions, the Federal Government also committed to a review of five key laws, including those of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) that are considered to constitute impediments to autonomy and academic freedom of the universities.

While all these raise hope of a peaceful and better university system. The government should respect the new agreement not only through implementation but also by being consistent with it. Notably, ASUU expressed cautious optimism about the new deal, understandably given the government’s history of failing to fulfil promises under similar pacts. This is where President Bola Tinubu needs to demonstrate the integrity of the administration he leads and its commitment to national development through education. There should be no further reference to the 2009 pact by ASUU; there should be no disappointment among the lecturers. The strikes should stop forthwith. Nigerians expect a display of maturity, patriotism, fairness, and compassion in resolving any other conflicts that may arise between the parties at other times, so that a strike will not be an option. The new agreement should mark the end of instability in the university system.

With the government’s promise to make funds available for research, the universities should wake up to other key roles they are expected to play as active partners in national development. The only thing they are seen to do now is producing graduates. In other climes, universities provide solutions to societal challenges. The food insecurity in Nigeria that is taking the cost of living beyond the reach of the people is what the universities can tackle. Apart from specialised universities of agriculture across the country, there are many others with faculties of agriculture well-staffed with experts in different aspects of the field. What are they producing? Where are the expected inventions, where are the innovations? In Nigeria today, a country with an agrarian economy, most people cannot afford meat, eggs, fish, rice, beans, yams, oil and other necessary food items. With over 300 universities mostly owned by the government, Nigeria is not supposed to suffer food insecurity.

Besides, to meet the country’s aspiration to industrialise, the universities should give adequate attention to innovation and advancement of technology, which form the foundation of the growth of modern societies. Professors, doctorate degree holders and other lecturers, especially in the various fields of science, should not be only on paper but also on what they can innovate to resolve real-life challenges. It would be disappointing if their impact is not felt beyond the classrooms.

The overhaul of the university system, which the lecturers sought through the struggle, should not be just to make their salaries and other entitlements fatter; the clamour for autonomy should not be taken as an opportunity to amass undeserved wealth and become uncontrollable. The stabilisation and other funds that will be injected into the universities should be utilised for the purposes they are meant for. It is taxpayers’ money. Autonomy should not cloud transparency and accountability in the management of universities. The struggle for the overhaul of the university system should translate into palpable achievements and meaningful contributions to national development in all facets.