How Education Minister Alausa Cleared ₦50bn Allowance Backlog For University Teachers After Nearly Two Decades

BY ABU-SATAR HAMED

FCT, ABUJA, NIGERIA – President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a landmark proposal by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, aimed at addressing some of the long-standing issues between the Federal Government and university lecturers across the country.

Specifically, Dr. Alausa’s plan focused on clearing the long-overdue Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) owed to both academic and non-academic staff of federal universities.

The President gave his full approval for the initiative, and disbursement has since commenced – marking the fulfillment of one of the Tinubu administration’s key promises.

In the first phase of the intervention, ₦50 billion has already been disbursed to the universities, and lecturers have begun receiving the long-awaited payments.

This development has been hailed as a breakthrough in restoring trust between the government and the university system.

The payment comes after nearly twenty years of agitation and unmet commitments, and is being celebrated widely by stakeholders as a major turning point in government-labour relations within Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.

Speaking in a statement widely circulated among academia and stakeholders, Professor Yemi Oke, a respected academic from the Faculty of Law at the University of Lagos, commended the Tinubu administration for keeping a promise many believed would never be fulfilled.

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

Recall that the Federal Government’s intervention was first announced by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on April 23, 2025. He revealed that ₦50 billion had been released to settle EAA owed to university staff, describing the move as “a reaffirmation of President Tinubu’s belief in the capacity of Nigerian youth and the invaluable role that academic and non-academic staff play in nurturing them.”

Dr. Alausa emphasized that the intervention goes beyond financial disbursement, describing it as “a reaffirmation of our President’s belief in the capacity of Nigerian youth and the invaluable role that academic and non-academic staff play in nurturing them.”

He added that prioritizing the welfare of university staff was essential in building a future where Nigerian students receive quality and globally competitive education.

In a now widely circulated statement, Prof Oke praised President Tinubu for his sincerity and courage, stating that while the President did not incur the debt, he made a commitment to clear it and has now fulfilled that promise.

“The real issue here is not the quantum or the sum,” Prof. Oke wrote, “but the thoughtfulness and the fact that President Bola Tinubu… made a promise to pay. Let Nigerians know that the promise has been kept, most conscionably.”

In the same vein, Prof. Oke noted that previous governments had overlooked the EAA issue, even with university professors serving as vice presidents and ministers.

“Prior to the Tinubu era,” he said, “the humongous debts of EAA remained unpaid and unattended to until President Bola Tinubu deemed it fit and decent enough to pay off the embarrassing debt.”

Prof. Oke called on the President to further consolidate these gains by reviewing and enhancing the salary structure of university lecturers, noting that no Nigerian professor currently earns up to $500 a month.

He also stressed the crucial role university staff play not only in education but also in national development, including their contribution to the electoral process as returning officers and the training of professionals who serve in health, aviation, and engineering sectors.

“President Tinubu has already won the hearts of millions of Nigerian students, their parents, and university staff with the combined effects of the payment of the Earned Academic Allowances and the Student Loan scheme,” Prof. Oke wrote. “All that needs to be done is for P-BAT to complete the job of capturing the minds of these crucial constituencies ahead of the 2027 general elections.”

“For those who love to read “politics” into every steps or actions, this will be a fair and good politics if Nigerian University teachers have a reviewed and enhanced salary since 2009 under President Bola Tinubu”.

“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, he concluded.

Education analysts have described the move as a breath of fresh air in a sector that has long been plagued by neglect and broken promises.

The payment of EAA comes alongside other reforms under President Tinubu’s leadership, including the implementation of a student loan scheme that has so far benefited thousands of Nigerian students.