The Federal government has approved the implementation of 25% pay rise for lecturers in all federal institutions.
The government had earlier objected to the payment of 25% to lecturers in the tertiary institutions when it raised those of Professors to 35%.
But in a Circular No: OAuGF/ SW/C/QP/1395/VOL.1/11, dated September 21, 2023, issued by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation to Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, the Auditor General said the implementation was approved by the Presidential Committee on Salaries at its 13th meeting.
The decision was taken after “ taking into consideration, various stages of collective bargaining,” the circular stated.
The circular was sequel to a similar letter from the Chairman of the National Salaries, incomes and Wages Commission( NSIWC), dated September 14, 2023.
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The letter was addressed to the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, had indicated that the government has increased the salaries of workers in the federal government institutions
The letter sighted by BusinessDay Media and signed by Ekpo Nta, Chairman of the Commission, revealed that the 23.5% earlier approved was increased to 25%.
Nta, in the letter, expressed pleasure with the success the Minister’s “ informal discussions have achieved”, adding that “ W shall endeavour to support all your efforts aimed at repositioning the education sector”
The letter also contained other circulars pertaining to the four salary structures in the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education
Recall that Adamu Adamu the former Minister of Education, had insisted that the Federal Government could only afford a 23.5 per cent salary increase for all categories of the workforce in Federal Universities, except for people in the professorial cadre who would enjoy a 35 per cent upward review of their salaries.
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Adamu had while addressing Pro-Chancellors and Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities, in Abuja, early this year, disclosed that an agreement was reached with the ASUU members that henceforth, allowances that pertain to ad-hoc duties of the academic and non-academic staff shall be paid as at when due by the Governing Councils of Universities to which such services were rendered and to the staff who performed such services.
He, thus, confirmed that a sum of N150 billion shall be provided for in the 2023 budget as funds for the revitalization of Federal Universities, and the funds would be disbursed to the institutions in the first quarter of the year.
He also disclosed that a sum of N50 billion shall be provided for in the 2023 budget for the payment of outstanding areas of earned academic allowances of lecturers, and the funds would also be paid in the first quarter of the year.
