University professors across Nigeria have renewed calls for a substantial upward review of their salaries, insisting that no academic should earn less than ₦2.5 million monthly in today’s economic climate.
The demand was led by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. They highlight mounting frustration over the Federal Government’s failure to implement the renegotiated 2009 FGN–ASUU agreement.
At present, Nigerian professors earn between ₦525,010 and ₦633,333 per month, while graduate assistants reportedly take home as little as ₦125,000.
Prof. Remi Aiyede of the University of Ibadan criticized the country’s refusal to prioritize its academics despite evidence from government-commissioned reports recommending salary adjustments.
“When you benchmark it across countries, the average professor in Africa earns between $2,000 and $4,000 monthly. In fact, ₦1 million is conservative. Professors in Nigeria should not earn less than ₦2.5 million,” he said.
At the University of Lagos, Prof. Abigail Ndizika-Ogwezzy lamented the strain on lecturers’ livelihoods, stressing that poor pay is diminishing productivity.
“Anything less than ₦2.5 million is unrealistic. Look at rent, food, healthcare, and school fees. Many lecturers can’t even afford their children’s education,” she stated.
Similarly, Prof. Sheriffdeen Tela of Babcock University described the wide disparity between professors’ pay and the earnings of political office holders as indefensible.
“Even if a professor earns ₦1.2 million a month, it’s still far below what a legislator takes home. Many professors survive on loans because their salaries can’t cover basic expenses,” he said.
Former ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, backed the demand, proposing a salary range of ₦1 million to ₦5 million depending on academic rank.
“If Nigeria truly values education and wants its universities to compete globally, professors must be paid what they deserve. Anything short of this will only deepen the brain drain,” he warned.