The federal government has approved an improved remuneration package for Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) members, following the conclusion of a long-delayed renegotiation of the 2009 agreement.
The approval was formally conveyed in a circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC), dated July 20, 2026, and signed by the commission’s acting secretary, Adighiogu A. Chiadi.
The circular confirmed that the government had approved payment of a consolidated non-teaching tools allowance alongside a broader review of earned allowances for eligible non-teaching staff in federal universities.
It was addressed to some of the most senior offices in government, including the Chief of Staff to the President, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, ministers, permanent secretaries, and heads of government agencies.
The directive gives effect to an agreement reached between federal negotiators and the NASU leadership on June 29, 2026, a breakthrough that brought to a close months of tense talks. NASU President Peters Adeyemi had confirmed the development at the time, noting the union would issue a fuller statement later.
The non-teaching unions had grown increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of the renegotiation process, which began in October, and had even downed tools the previous month to protest the delay.
Notably, a similar agreement had already been reached with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in December, after a process that had dragged on for 16 years.
Crucially, the financial benefits contained in the new deal take effect retrospectively from January 1, 2026, meaning affected workers should expect back pay covering the first half of the year.
Central to the new package is a substantial upward review of hazard-related payments. For employees on CONTISS 1-5, the annual hazard allowance was increased from N180,000 under the 2009 agreement to N243,000, representing a rise of N63,000, though this fell short of NASU’s original demand of N360,000 annually.
For more senior categories, workers on CONTISS 6-15 saw their allowance rise from N360,000 to N486,000 annually, an increase of N126,000, again below the union’s demand, which had been pegged at N720,000 a year.
The government also retained existing provisions for call duty, shift duty, and clinical hazard allowances in line with previous NSIWC circulars, while high-risk allowance payments will continue to be administered through the Employee Compensation framework under the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010, rather than as a fixed annual sum.
Beyond hazard pay, the circular introduced improved responsibility allowances for senior administrative officers. Registrars and bursars will now receive N840,000 annually, up from N750,000, while directors who previously had no responsibility allowance at all will now earn N600,000 annually.
The government also approved higher responsibility allowances for other senior non-teaching officials, including deputy directors, heads of departments, and heads of sections, alongside new annual uniform and protective wear allowances of N80,000 for eligible laboratory, workshop, and studio personnel.
Field trip, teaching practice, and industrial supervision allowances were similarly reviewed upward across various salary grades.
The review comes after months of negotiations in which NASU had argued that allowances fixed under the 2009 agreement had become grossly inadequate in the face of inflation, naira depreciation, and the rising cost of living.
Government officials, for their part, described the revised benefits as part of ongoing efforts to improve working conditions and ensure stability across Nigeria’s tertiary education sector.
For thousands of laboratory technicians, clinical staff, workshop attendants, and administrative personnel across Nigeria’s federal university system, the new figures, though below the union’s initial demands, represent the most significant adjustment to their pay structure in over a decade and a half.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
In conclusion, the Federal Government’s approval of higher hazard allowances for NASU members, raising annual payments from N180,000 to N243,000 for CONTISS 1-5 staff and from N360,000 to N486,000 for CONTISS 6-15 staff, marks the end of a 16-year wait for a review of the 2009 agreement.
While the increases fall short of NASU’s original demands, they take effect retroactively from January 1, 2026, meaning eligible workers are entitled to back pay for the months already elapsed this year.
