FG Approves N486,000 Hazard Allowance for Federal University Workers

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 senior workers now entitled to an annual laboratory hazard allowance of N486,000.

The approval was conveyed in a circular issued by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC) dated July 20, 2026, following an agreement reached between the Federal Government and NASU on June 29, 2026. The revised remuneration package takes retrospective effect from January 1, 2026.

Signed by the Acting Secretary of the commission, Adighiogu A. Chiadi, the circular directed relevant government institutions to implement the new allowances for eligible non-teaching staff in federal universities.

Under the new structure, employees on the CONTISS 1–5 salary scale will receive N243,000 annually as laboratory, workshop, studio, clinical and occupational hazard allowance, up from the previous N180,000. Those on CONTISS 6–15 will receive N486,000 annually, an increase from N360,000.

The government also approved higher responsibility allowances for senior non-teaching officials. Registrars and bursars will now receive N840,000 annually, while directors will earn N600,000 annually as responsibility allowance.

Deputy registrars, deputy bursars and deputy directors will receive N480,000 annually, while heads of departments and units will earn N360,000 annually. Heads of sections, who previously had no approved responsibility allowance, will now receive N150,000 annually.

The circular retained existing provisions for call duty, shift duty and clinical hazard allowances in line with previous NSIWC directives.

For high-risk allowance, the commission explained that payments would continue under the Employees’ Compensation framework in accordance with the Employees’ Compensation Act 2010 and an earlier NSIWC circular, rather than through a fixed annual payment.

The government also approved revised allowances for field trips, teaching practice and industrial supervision as part of efforts to improve the welfare of non-teaching staff in federal universities.

The approval follows months of negotiations between the Federal Government and NASU over improved conditions of service for workers in the nation’s tertiary institutions.