A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, has raised a critical alarm about the state of Nigeria's higher education. He declared that Nigerian university lecturers are among the lowest-paid academics in Africa, a situation he warns will continue to trigger disruptive industrial actions if not addressed.
Comparative Data Reveals Stark Disparity
Professor Olayinka made this revelation while delivering the convocation lecture at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko (AAUA) on December 25, 2025. He backed his claim with stark salary comparisons. Data from the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) shows a Nigerian professor with less than ten years in the role earns roughly $4,400 per year.
This figure pales in comparison to earnings in other African nations:
- South African professors take home $57,471 yearly, over 13 times more.
- Kenyan academics earn about $48,000 per annum.
- Nations with smaller economies like Eswatini ($41,389), Lesotho ($32,455), and Gabon ($29,907) pay significantly better.
- Even Sierra Leone ($18,000), Zambia ($14,949), and Comoros ($12,960) rank above Nigeria, Africa's largest economy.
Root Causes of University Crises
Olayinka identified a combination of critical issues plaguing Nigerian public universities beyond poor pay. He listed inadequate funding, inefficient service delivery, an ageing academic workforce, and incessant strikes by staff unions as the major challenges. He stressed that the recurring ASUU strikes will persist unless federal and state governments take decisive steps to improve lecturer welfare and tackle the widespread infrastructural decay on campuses.
He lamented that the current wage structure actively discourages talented individuals from seeing academia as a viable lifelong career, thereby draining the sector of potential.
A Call for Fundamental Reforms
The professor issued a powerful statement on the value of intellectual labour, saying, "A nation that impoverishes its teachers undermines its future. Nigeria must learn that intellectual labour cannot be chained, and scholars cannot be caged." He described lecturers as global citizens in a borderless world of thought, arguing that a government which fails to honour them ultimately dishonours itself.
To move forward, Olayinka called on the government to proactively address the root causes of labour disputes by focusing on welfare and funding. He also recommended the recruitment of adequate and qualified academic staff through a competitive and transparent process. This, he believes, is essential to improve the poor staff-to-student ratio and enhance the overall quality of education in Nigerian universities.
