How Nigerian Professors Earn ₦633,333 While Senators Pocket Up to ₦21m Monthly

A fresh crisis is brewing in Nigeria’s university system as lecturers once again threaten to shut down campuses over what they describe as poor welfare and unfair treatment, particularly when compared with the salaries of elected public office holders.

At the center of the dispute is the stark wage disparity: while professors in federal universities earn an average of ₦633,333 per month, lawmakers in the National Assembly reportedly receive as much as ₦21 million monthly, according to disclosures by former Senator Shehu Sani and other lawmakers.

This gulf, unions say, underscores the government’s lack of value for education.

Last week, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma announced a new minimum wage of ₦104,000 for the lowest-paid workers in the state, making lecturers in state-owned universities among the best paid in the country. Under the new arrangement, a professor at Imo State University now takes home about ₦812,000 monthly—still far less than the pay packets of senators.

Despite official figures from the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Committee (RMAFC) pegging senators’ salaries at ₦1 million, insiders insist the true figure is far higher when allowances are added. Senator Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate, disclosed that his monthly pay was ₦13.5 million, a figure he says has since risen to about ₦21 million for members of the current 10th Senate.

“I believe taxpayers and Nigerians have the right to know how much their legislators are earning,” Sani said. “When I was in the Senate, I disclosed that ₦13.5 million was being paid into my account monthly. Today, it has gone higher.”

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Congress of University Academics (CONUA) have renewed calls for a “living wage.” They argue that salaries have remained stagnant since 2009 despite worsening economic conditions.

Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, CONUA’s National President, said:

“Salary has remained stagnant since 2009. What government offers is mere tokenism, not enough in today’s economy. Lecturers deserve a living wage. We are not beggars.”

Similarly, Prof. Idou Keinde, ASUU branch chairman at the University of Lagos, faulted government’s introduction of loan facilities for lecturers.

“If the Federal Government pays us our dues, there would be no need for loans. Pay us our allowances and we will not go borrowing.”

The disparity has also sparked outrage among Nigerians. Yinka Ogunde, founder of the Concerned Parents and Educators Network, wrote:

“I never knew a professor earns less than ₦600,000—less than a local government councillor. We need an education rethink.”

Other commentators contrasted the years of rigorous academic training required to become a professor with the relatively low academic requirements to enter the Senate.

“It takes over 10 years of study, research, and teaching to become a professor, yet they earn ₦633,333. A senator only needs WAEC, yet earns ₦21 million. This shows we don’t value education,” one commenter wrote.

Both ASUU and CONUA insist the Federal Government must fulfill the 2009 agreement, which included the release of ₦200 billion annually as revitalization funds for universities, payment of earned allowances, and adequate funding of public institutions.

Failure to implement the agreement, they warn, could trigger another nationwide shutdown of universities.