Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has commenced the early implementation of key aspects of the 2025 agreement reached between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government, positioning the institution as a pacesetter among Nigerian universities.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Bond Ugochukwu Anyaehie, disclosed that the university has begun paying enhanced academic allowances, with funding sourced from its internally generated revenue (IGR).
According to him, the first phase of implementation includes an increase in honoraria for the external assessment of academic staff.
Prof. Anyaehie explained that the 2025 ASUU–FG agreement clearly delineates funding responsibilities between the Federal Government and university governing councils.
While the Federal Government is to handle allowances related to undergraduate academic activities—such as industrial training supervision, field trips, teaching practice, and external moderation—governing councils are mandated to fund postgraduate supervision and postgraduate external moderation from their institutions’ IGR.
As part of the new arrangement, the honorarium for external moderation has been reviewed upward from ₦50,000 to over ₦200,000, a move seen as a significant improvement in the welfare and motivation of academic staff.
The decision by UNIZIK management has been widely welcomed by lecturers and the ASUU-UNIZIK leadership, who described the development as a positive signal of mutual trust, cooperation, and goodwill between the university administration and the union.
They also hailed the initiative as a good omen for industrial harmony on campus.
UNIZIK is reportedly the first Nigerian university to commence the implementation of the 2025 ASUU–FG agreement, a development that has drawn commendation from stakeholders within the academic community.
Beyond allowances, the broader agreement provides for a 40 per cent salary increase for university lecturers, scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026.
It also includes the restructuring of nine earned academic allowances, which have now been clearly defined and directly linked to specific academic responsibilities, in line with efforts to improve transparency and accountability in the university system.
