Some professors in the country have spoken up about their troubles with low pay, detailing how their meager incomes have led them into multiple loans and an endless circle of debt.
In separate interviews with Saturday PUNCH, the teachers explained how the government’s lack of commitment to education has made life more difficult for them and their families.
Their concerns come amid continuous protests by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has frequently criticized the Federal Government for prioritizing pay raises for politicians over academics.
Emmanuel Piwuna, the ASUU National President, blamed university instructors’ flat pay on chronic government negligence.
He claimed that the disdain for academics has harmed institutions’ capacity to attract quality faculty, lowered morale, and diminished academic output.
Data on professors with fewer than ten years in the professorial cadre in African public universities show that Nigerian lecturers are among the lowest paid on the continent, receiving an average of $366 (approximately N500,000) each month.
A Nigerian professor earns approximately $4,400 per year, whereas a South African equivalent gets $57,471, which is more than 13 times greater.
Uganda earns $50,595 per year, followed by Kenya at $48,000. Even countries with much smaller economies than Nigeria, such as Eswatini ($41,389), Lesotho ($32,455), and Gabon ($29,907), pay substantially higher.
Surprisingly, Nigeria follows Sierra Leone ($18,000), Zambia ($14,949), and the Comoros ($12,960), despite being Africa’s biggest economy.
Several university lecturers told Saturday PUNCH that their falling level of living was due to insufficient salary.
They claimed that despite earning around N500,000 per month, some of them are compelled to squat in staff quarters, while others compete with students for places on buses intended for undergraduates.
Prof. Adebowale Adejumo of the Department of Statistics at the University of Ilorin expressed concern that the situation was forcing many academics into severe debt and various side occupations in order to live.
He emphasized that, despite the 2009 agreement struck with the Federal Government, nothing had been implemented, leaving professors underpaid and demoralized.
Adejumo disclosed that he had been forced to take multiple loans to pay his children’s school fees, as they all attend private universities due to incessant strikes in public institutions.
He said, “All my children are in private universities because of strikes. I have to do different jobs and take loans just to meet up. For almost a year now, I hardly drive my car to work because of the cost of fuel.
“Anytime I drive, I spend at least N10,000 on fuel just for that day. If I do that every day, how much is left for feeding and other expenses?”
Adejumo termed the discrepancy in remuneration between Nigerian professors and their peers abroad as “shameful.”
“When we convert what we earn to dollars, it is just about $320. In South Africa, colleagues like me earn $10,000 or $11,000 monthly. Even in Namibia, a friend of mine earns $7,000 during his sabbatical,” he added.
An Enugu-based professor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he did not want to be attacked, claimed that low pay had left several of his colleagues in debt from unpaid loans.
He said, “The salary of professors in Nigeria cannot sustain me alone, let alone my wife and children.”
“Lecturers, including myself, are now living on loans. If you go to my cooperative society, you will see how much I owe; it runs into millions.
“The way people perceive professors outside is far from reality. Financially, we are struggling.”
He elucidated that salaries were often exhausted almost immediately upon receipt, leaving nothing for savings or investment.
“Once this meager salary comes in, we distribute it within minutes, and we are back to square one,” he said.
“At the moment, I am seriously struggling to even buy fuel of N10,000 for my car. It is a very pathetic situation, which I feel the Federal Government should quickly address,” he added.
Aside from his personal challenges, the professor warned that low pay discouraged young Nigerians from pursuing jobs in academia.
“I asked my children how many of them want to become lecturers, let alone professors. They all said no.
“This is dangerous for the future of education. If we that are in the business cannot have people to sustain it, then it calls for serious caution.”
The professor, who has held the position for 11 years, commented on the irony of being highly educated but financially constrained.
“When I sit in family meetings with my siblings, I only contribute ideas. When it comes to finances, it is my younger brother who does the giving because he is better off.
“So, I ask myself, what then is the essence of becoming a professor? I am still battling debts and struggling to survive. It is rather unfortunate.”
He called on the federal government to act urgently to prevent a collapse of the academic system, warning that the present situation was no longer sustainable.
