Nigeria’s public university system is set for a financial boost as the Federal Government moves to deploy fresh intervention funds aimed at stabilising academic operations and reversing years of infrastructure decline.
Under the plan, an extra N30 billion will be injected into the country’s 74 federal universities over a three-year period, separate from their regular annual allocations.
Officials say the initiative is designed to restore confidence in the system and create a more predictable funding structure.
Moreover, the intervention forms part of a new understanding reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The funding framework, described as a stabilisation and restoration programme, is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2028.
According to details of the arrangement, N10 billion will be released annually and centrally managed by the National Universities Commission.
Education officials said the model is intended to ensure coordinated spending and reduce duplication across institutions.
A senior government source familiar with the deal said the fund was meant to “provide breathing space for universities that have struggled to maintain basic facilities, laboratories, and teaching environments over the years.”
In addition, the agreement commits the government to a gradual increase in education spending, with a long-term target of allocating 15 per cent of the national budget to the sector.
This benchmark aligns with international guidelines and represents a significant shift from previous funding patterns.
However, education analysts have warned that money alone will not solve the sector’s problems.
One policy expert noted that “transparent management and strict monitoring will determine whether this intervention delivers real change or fades as another temporary relief.”
Despite repeated global recommendations that countries devote between 15 and 20 per cent of public spending to education, Nigeria has consistently fallen short.
Historical data show wide fluctuations, with education spending rarely approaching the recommended threshold.
Even in the proposed 2026 budget, where N3.52 trillion has been earmarked for education, critics argue the figure remains insufficient.
Education advocate Omole Ibukun said the allocation “does not match the scale of decay across campuses and cannot drive the deep reforms universities urgently need.”
Meanwhile, not all academic unions are aligned with the new agreement.
The Congress of University Academics (CONUA) has publicly distanced itself from the deal, urging the government to broaden negotiations to include all recognised unions.
CONUA President, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, said ongoing talks should reflect the diversity of academic representation within the university system.
He stressed that his union would retain its independence, adding that “our legal standing is not in doubt and has been affirmed by both national and international labour frameworks.”
Nonetheless, Sunmonu acknowledged that the government–ASUU talks had brought closure to long-standing issues rooted in the 2009 agreement, describing the outcome as a delayed but important step in addressing systemic weaknesses in Nigeria’s university education.