The Federal Government has approved an upward review of hazard allowances and other earned benefits for members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) in federal universities, with the new package taking retrospective effect from January 1, 2026.
The approval, contained in a circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC), follows an agreement reached between the Federal Government and NASU on June 29, 2026.
The circular, dated July 20, 2026, was signed by the Acting Secretary of the commission, Adighiogu A. Chiadi, and addressed to 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.
According to the circular, the government approved the payment of the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance alongside a review of earned allowances for eligible non-teaching personnel in federal universities.
One of the major changes is the increase in laboratory, workshop, studio, clinical and occupational hazard allowances.
For employees on the CONTISS 1–5 salary scale, the annual hazard allowance rises from N180,000 to N243,000, representing an increase of N63,000. Workers on CONTISS 6–15 will now receive N486,000 annually, up from N360,000, reflecting an increase of N126,000.
The approved figures, however, fall short of NASU's demands of N360,000 and N720,000 respectively for the two salary categories.
The commission stated that existing provisions for call duty, shift duty and clinical hazard allowances remain unchanged.
It also explained that high-risk allowances would continue to be administered under the Employees' Compensation framework in line with the Employees' Compensation Act 2010 and relevant NSIWC guidelines, instead of being paid as fixed annual allowances.
The government equally approved revised responsibility allowances for senior non-teaching officials.
Under the new structure, registrars and bursars will receive N840,000 annually, equivalent to N70,000 monthly, up from N750,000 annually. Directors, who previously had no responsibility allowance, will now earn N600,000 annually.
Deputy registrars, deputy bursars and deputy directors will receive N480,000 annually, while the allowance for heads of departments and units has been increased from N300,000 to N360,000 annually.
Heads of sections, who were previously not entitled to any responsibility allowance, will now receive N150,000 annually.
Allowances for field trips, teaching practice and industrial supervision were also reviewed upward.
For officers on CONTISS 1–5, the annual allowance increases from N60,000 to N81,000. Those on CONTISS 6–12 will receive N108,000, while staff on CONTISS 13–15 will now earn N135,000 annually.
Similarly, the Students Work Experience Programme (SWEP) allowance was increased across all salary levels.
The government also introduced an annual uniform and protective wear allowance of N80,000 for laboratory, workshop and studio personnel across all CONTISS categories.
The circular further stated that the Provision Tools Allowance has been merged into the Consolidated Non-Teaching Tools Allowance.
It added that Project Supervision Allowance would no longer be paid separately because project supervision is considered part of the regular duties of affected non-teaching staff.
Similarly, Laboratory Students-to-Staff Ratio Supplementation will be addressed through the existing Excess Workload arrangement.
The commission also directed that the Excess Workload Allowance should be phased out. Under the current arrangement, officers on CONTISS 09–15 receive N3,500 per hour for excess workload, subject to a maximum of 52 hours annually. Although NASU proposed an increase to N10,000 per hour, the government retained the existing rate pending its eventual discontinuation.
The revised package implements agreements reached after months of negotiations between the Federal Government and NASU over improved welfare for non-teaching workers.
The union had argued that most of the allowances had remained unchanged since the 2009 agreement and no longer reflected prevailing economic realities, citing inflation, the depreciation of the naira and the rising cost of living.
The latest review is expected to strengthen industrial harmony in federal universities as the government continues engagements with university-based unions over salaries, allowances and broader conditions of service. Non-teaching unions, including NASU and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), have in recent years embarked on several industrial actions to press for improved remuneration and the implementation of agreements reached with the Federal Government.
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