ABUJA, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)-Budgetary allocations for personnel costs in several federal universities have risen significantly following the Federal Government’s approval of a 40 per cent salary increase for academic staff, alongside the introduction of new and improved allowance packages.
A review of the Federal Government’s 2026 budget estimates showed that personnel cost provisions for the top 20 federal universities increased from N438.85bn in 2025 to N533.1bn in 2026.
This represents an increase of N94.25bn, or about 22 per cent, within a single fiscal year.
On Wednesday, the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) finally reached an agreement, resolving a 16-year impasse over the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement.
The development has raised hopes of better staff welfare, improved funding certainty, and industrial peace within Nigeria’s university system.
Under the agreement, the Federal Government approved a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers in federal institutions and introduced a new professorial cadre allowance, which will provide university professors with a monthly top-up of more than N140,000.
READ ALSO:Tax Reforms Lack Clarity, Public Trust, Obi Tells FG
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said adequate provisions had already been made to fund the enhanced remuneration package.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, Alausa said the funding covers both the salary increase and the restructuring of academic allowances.
He said, “A professor will now receive a monthly top-up of over N140,000, as President Tinubu has approved a new category of allowance for academic staff, known as the professorial cadre allowance, which is an enhanced additional package.
“Today, we have the funding to support the 40 per cent salary increase granted to our lecturers across all institutions, as well as the nine enhanced Earned Academic Allowances, which are now properly structured.”
He added that the allowances captured in the agreement had been clearly outlined, addressing long-standing demands of the lecturers’ union.
In the 2026 budget, the Federal Government earmarked N3.52tn for education, accounting for 6.1 per cent of the N58.18tn national budget.
A breakdown of the allocation showed that N113.764bn was set aside for major targeted education interventions, N42bn for the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme, and N35bn to address the out-of-school children challenge.
Other provisions include N28bn for security infrastructure across the 118 Federal Unity Colleges and N5.2bn for the maintenance of 1,532 Nigerian students studying overseas under the Bilateral Education Programme.
Within the federal budgeting framework, personnel costs also known as personnel emoluments constitute a significant portion of recurrent (non-debt) expenditure for Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Education.
READ ALSO:FG, ASUU Begin Negotiations On Proposed 40% Salary Increase
These costs cover salaries, allowances, pensions, gratuities and related obligations, and are managed centrally through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, which validates staff records, eliminates ghost workers and ensures prompt payments.
Although the detailed recurrent and capital components of the education budget have yet to be fully released, an examination of the Ministry of Education’s 2026 allocations obtained from the Budget Office showed notable increases in personnel costs across major federal universities.
The institutions covered include the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ahmadu Bello University, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, University of Jos, University of Calabar, University of Ilorin and the University of Abuja. Others are the University of Port Harcourt, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Modibbo Adama University, University of Uyo, University of Maiduguri, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Bayero University and Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.
Among the institutions reviewed, the University of Ibadan recorded the largest increase, with personnel allocations rising from N25.13bn in 2025 to N37.52bn in 2026 an increase of about N12.4bn.
Ahmadu Bello University followed, with its personnel budget climbing from N34bn to N44.5bn, representing a N10.5bn rise, or roughly 31 per cent.
Other increases were recorded by UNILAG (N1.32bn), UNN (N6bn), OAU (N2.2bn), UNIBEN (N3.16bn), UNIJOS (N9.2bn), UNICAL (N5.5bn), UNILORIN (N5.26bn), UNIABUJA (N3.5bn) and UNIPORT (N2.3bn).
Further adjustments showed increases for ATBU (N4.87bn), FUTO, Owerri (N5.24bn), FUTA (N1.5bn), Modibbo Adama University (N720m), UNIUYO (N211m), UNIMAID (N6.2bn), NAU (N6bn), Bayero University (N4.6bn) and Usman Dan Fodio University (N3.47bn).
When contacted for additional clarification on the higher personnel allocations for tertiary institutions, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education, Boriowo Folasade, said she would respond, but had yet to do so as of press time.