The Federal Government has concluded plans to inject an additional N30 billion over the next three years to stabilise and rehabilitate the nation’s 74 federal universities, in addition to their annual budgetary allocations.
Gatekeepers Newsreports that the intervention forms part of an agreement reached between the government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which also includes plans to raise education sector funding to 15 per cent of the national budget in line with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) benchmark.
Under the agreement, the intervention—tagged the “Stabilisation and Restoration Fund”—will be disbursed in three equal instalments of N10 billion annually from 2026 to 2028 and managed by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
“It was agreed that the government shall provide N30 billion to be paid in three equal instalments of N10 billion yearly from 2026 to 2028 to be managed by NUC,” Section 4.3.3 of the agreement titled ‘Stabilisation and Restoration Fund’ states.
Education experts say the fund, if transparently managed, could help reverse years of infrastructural decay, improve teaching and learning facilities, and strengthen research capacity in federal universities. However, they stressed that sustained funding, accountability, and effective monitoring would be critical to achieving long-term impact rather than temporary relief.
On broader education financing, the agreement recommended that government demonstrate political will by increasing budgetary allocation to the sector through a “progressive increase of 2.5 per cent yearly to 15 per cent,” earmarking 50 per cent of the education capital budget for universities, and sustaining the policy of non-payment of undergraduate tuition fees.
Despite UNESCO’s recommendation that countries commit 15 to 20 per cent of annual public spending to education, Nigeria has consistently fallen short. According to The Guardian, federal education spending between 1999 and 2026 ranged from a low of 1.69 per cent in 2011 to a peak of 13 per cent in 2008.
Although the Federal Government allocated N3.52 trillion to education in the N58.47 trillion 2026 budget currently before the National Assembly, Omole Ibukun, Initiator of the Creative Change Centre, described the allocation as grossly inadequate.
He noted that the amount represents just 6.02 per cent of the total budget, lamenting that it falls short of international standards and is insufficient to drive the urgent reforms needed in the education sector.
Meanwhile, the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has distanced itself from the ASUU-led agreement, urging the government to fast-track negotiations with all university-based unions.
The Federal Government confirmed that engagements were ongoing with other recognised unions, including CONUA, as part of a broader effort to improve conditions of service, institutional stability, and the quality of university education.
In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, CONUA National President, Dr ‘Niyi Sunmonu, dismissed claims that the union would be absorbed into another academic body, insisting on its independence despite comments and alleged threats by ASUU President, Prof. Chris Piwuna, during a recent appearance on Arise Television.
Sunmonu reaffirmed CONUA’s legal standing, saying the union was duly recognised by law, with its registration upheld by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) and supported by provisions and conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
He acknowledged the conclusion of the renegotiation between the Federal Government and ASUU, describing it as part of the unresolved 2009 agreement that had lingered for several years.
