The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has described the new agreement reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) as a major step towards ending recurring strike actions in Nigerian universities.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa, and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, the group said the agreement, expected to be signed on Wednesday, would serve as a sustainable framework for lasting industrial harmony in the university system.
According to the group, the agreement resolves long-standing issues arising from the 2009 FG/ASUU pact and establishes a template capable of addressing perennial challenges in the nation’s higher education sector.
The statement said President Bola Tinubu had, shortly after assuming office, pledged to put an end to frequent strikes in public universities through dialogue and structural reforms.
It noted that the finalisation of the agreement was a culmination of sustained engagements by the Federal Government since 2023 to address funding, welfare, and governance challenges in the university system.
TMSG disclosed that key provisions of the agreement include a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff, while professors are to retire at 70 years with pensions equivalent to their full annual salaries.
It added that the agreement also provides for a revamped university funding model to support research, laboratories, and staff development, as well as the establishment of a National Research Council to be funded with a minimum of one per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The group said the measures were aimed at enhancing industrial harmony, improving academic standards, and strengthening the Federal Government’s commitment to sustainable development in the education sector.
According to TMSG, the agreement, which has been accepted by ASUU, effectively ends a 16-year-old dispute and would be recorded as a major achievement of the Tinubu administration.
The group described the deal as a New Year gift to Nigerians and urged citizens to continue to support and trust the administration’s efforts to reform the education sector and other critical areas of national development.
