Education Minister Alausa Clears ₦50bn Allowance Backlog for Varsity Lecturers after Nearly 20 Years

• President Tinubu has approved the disbursement of ₦50 billion to clear nearly two decades of unpaid Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) owed to university staff
• The approval, which has been hailed by the beneficiaries, follows a proposal by Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa
• UNILAG’s Prof. Yemi Oke described the development as a breakthrough in government-labour relations within Nigeria’s higher education sector

Abuja, FCT - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the disbursement of ₦50 billion to clear a backlog of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) owed to academic and non-academic staff in federal universities.

This, according to a statement made available to Legit.ng on Tuesday, July 1, resolves a decades-old dispute that had strained relations between the government and the country's tertiary education workforce.

It was gathered that the payment follows a proposal by Education Minister Dr. Tunji Alausa and marks the first major disbursement to address the allowances, which had remained unsettled for nearly 20 years despite multiple agreements and failed promises by previous administrations.

Disbursements have begun, with university staff reportedly confirming receipt of funds.

Education Minister Alausa shares details

Dr. Alausa, earlier announcing the intervention in April, said the funds were released with the direct approval of President Tinubu, who “reaffirmed his belief in the capacity of Nigerian youth and the invaluable role of university staff in nurturing them.”

“This intervention is more than financial,” Alausa said.

“It is a reaffirmation of our commitment to rebuilding the education sector and ensuring our students receive globally competitive training.”

UNILAG don praises Tinubu’s commitment

Reacting to the development, Professor Yemi Oke of the Faculty of Law at the University of Lagos praised the Tinubu administration for fulfilling a promise that had languished for years.

“The real issue here is not the quantum or the sum,” Oke said.

“It is the thoughtfulness, sincerity, and integrity of fulfilling a promise that was not even made by him, but which he took personal responsibility to settle.”

He noted that previous administrations, including those with professors serving as ministers and vice presidents, failed to resolve the allowance crisis.

Oke calls for salary reform

Prof. Oke urged the government to follow the EAA payment with a review of lecturers’ salaries, pointing out that no Nigerian professor currently earns up to $500 a month.

“President Tinubu has already won the hearts of millions of students, their parents, and university staff with the combined effect of the EAA payment and the Student Loan scheme,” he said.

He added that university staff also contribute significantly to national development, including participation in elections as returning officers and in training professionals in key sectors like health and aviation.

While some observers may interpret the move as politically motivated ahead of the 2027 general elections, Prof. Oke called it “good politics” that benefits a vital constituency.

"For those who love to read 'politics' into every step or action, this will be a fair and good politics if Nigerian University teachers have a reviewed and enhanced salary since 2009 under President Bola Tinubu", the scholar stated.

"As a constituency, we know what to do to “payback” as university staff, and through our greatest Nigerian students and their proud parents with our votes and our continued service to humanity and our fatherland, NIGERIA. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) are negotiated entitlements for university staff, covering extra hours worked, postgraduate supervision, research, and other duties beyond standard teaching hours. The backlog had accumulated since the early 2000s, becoming a major source of strikes and industrial actions by unions such as ASUU (Academic Staff Union of Universities) and NASU (Non-Academic Staff Union).

Alausa pushes for more reforms in education sector

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the education minister, Alausa, is rolling out a series of time‑bound reforms aimed at tightening school safety, overhauling vocational training and linking local colleges to overseas universities.

On Monday, June 16, minister of state for education Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad received a delegation from Britain’s Loughborough University to discuss joint programmes in science, technology and vocational education.

Two Transnational Education committees will test six partnership models for Nigerian universities, the ministry said.

Source: Legit.ng