The Federal Government of Nigeria has commenced the payment of long-awaited allowances to eligible academic staff across federal universities, polytechnics and colleges of education nationwide.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the development on Wednesday after inaugurating the Ministerial Committee on Accreditation. The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.

According to Alausa, the payments are being made in line with the provisions of the 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria–Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN–ASUU) Agreement.

He disclosed that directives had been issued to all federal tertiary institutions to commence immediate disbursement of the funds to personnel who meet the eligibility requirements.

The minister also addressed the allowances expected by non-academic staff, stating that steps are already being taken to process their corresponding payments. He said the necessary funding for non-academic workers is expected to be released within the coming weeks.

Alausa described the payment to academic personnel as a tangible indication of the government’s commitment to honoring previous agreements and improving the welfare of workers in the education sector.

He further reaffirmed the administration’s wider commitment to improving conditions within tertiary institutions, noting that President Bola Tinubu remains focused on staff welfare, campus infrastructure upgrades and improved standards across the sector under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The latest disbursement comes amid a series of policy measures introduced by the Federal Ministry of Education to support stability in tertiary institutions and reduce financial pressure on students and their families.

Among the measures are the expansion of student support through N50 million equity-free funding packages for student innovators, the suspension of proposed increases in WAEC and NECO examination fees, and the return of more than one million out-of-school children to classrooms over the past 30 months.

The ministry said it would continue to monitor the implementation of approved interventions and bilateral agreements to ensure their smooth and effective execution across the country’s tertiary education system.

Source: msmeafricaonline