Nigerian Professors Demand N2.5m Monthly Pay

Nigerian university professors have renewed calls for a substantial salary increase, insisting that their monthly earnings should not fall below N2.5 million.

The demand comes amid a clarification by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who has now admitted that a binding agreement was indeed signed between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in 2009, contrary to his earlier denial.

The ministry, in a statement issued Friday by its spokesperson Boriowo Folasade, explained that while the Nimi Briggs draft agreement of 2021 was never formally signed, the 2009 FGN-ASUU pact remains the last valid and binding agreement. Efforts to renegotiate the deal, it noted, began in 2017 under former minister Mallam Adamu Adamu.

On Tuesday, several campuses witnessed protests as ASUU members accused the government of deliberately failing to implement the renegotiated 2009 agreement.

Currently, Nigerian professors earn between N525,000 and N633,000 monthly under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, while graduate assistants earn as low as N125,000.

Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, several professors decried what they described as “gross underpayment” compared to colleagues in other African countries.

Prof. Remi Aiyede of the University of Ibadan said:

“Across Africa, the average professor earns between $2,000 and $4,000. By that standard, N2.5m is even conservative. A government-commissioned report already recommended similar figures.”

Prof. Abigail Ndizika-Ogwezzy of the University of Lagos lamented that poor salaries had left lecturers overstretched and unable to meet basic needs.

“Anything less than N2.5m is not realistic. Professors are carrying the workload of three to five people, yet many cannot pay their children’s school fees,” she said.

Similarly, Prof. Sheriffdeen Tela of Babcock University argued that the gap between professors’ pay and the lavish allowances of political office holders was indefensible.

Former ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, maintained that Nigerian professors deserve between N1m and N5m monthly, warning that failure to act would worsen the brain drain.

The Education Ministry assured that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains committed to ending the 16-year standoff with ASUU, stressing that keeping universities open for teaching and research is a top priority.