University lecturers in Nigeria are among the lowest-paid academics in Africa, with professors earning an average monthly salary of just \$366 (about ₦500,000), far below their counterparts in other African countries, findings by *The PUNCH* have shown.
According to comparative data on professors with less than 10 years on the professorial cadre in public universities, Nigerian professors earn about \$4,400 annually. By contrast, professors in South Africa take home \$57,471 annually — more than 13 times higher.
Uganda follows with \$50,595 per annum, while Kenya pays \$48,000. Smaller economies such as Eswatini (\$41,389), Lesotho (\$32,455), and Gabon (\$29,907) also pay significantly higher than Nigeria. Even countries like Sierra Leone (\$18,000), Zambia (\$14,949), and Comoros (\$12,960) surpass Africa’s largest economy in lecturers’ pay.
Other nations with better remuneration include Namibia (\$23,922), Botswana (\$19,935), Angola (\$15,948), Seychelles (\$13,950), Ghana (\$12,960), Mauritius (\$12,411), Malawi (\$12,366), and Zimbabwe (\$6,578).
This wage disparity has deepened low morale among academics, worsened brain drain, and pushed many lecturers to seek better-paying roles in government agencies, foreign institutions, and the private sector.
One professor recounted how he abandoned his Nigerian university salary of less than €350 monthly for a fellowship stipend abroad. Another said a colleague on sabbatical at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission earned close to ₦1 million monthly, only to return to a university payslip of ₦250,000.
“At the University of Ibadan, some professors have left for federal agencies where allowances alone dwarf their university pay. In UI, salaries average ₦350,000, but at these agencies, staff earn millions monthly, with perks like five-star accommodation,” a lecturer disclosed.
Many academics admitted passion for teaching no longer sustains them. “People once asked, ‘If we all leave, who will teach our children?’ Now they ask, ‘Why work hard and still be unable to educate your children or afford healthcare?’” a senior academic said.
Under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, Nigerian professors earn between ₦525,010 and ₦633,333 before deductions, while Graduate Assistants earn as low as ₦125,000.
Former University of Lagos Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, lamented that poor remuneration had eroded commitment. “As VC, I earned ₦900,000. Today, my salary as a professor is ₦700,000. My son saw my payslip and called it a joke,” he said.
President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Emmanuel Piwuna, blamed stagnant pay on government neglect, noting that lecturers’ last salary renegotiation was in 2009.
“Our salaries have remained stagnant, affecting morale and output. Meanwhile, the political class consistently approves pay rises for themselves,” he said.
Echoing the call, Prof. Tunde Adeoye of the University of Lagos urged the Federal Government to renegotiate the 2009 agreement and urgently review academics’ pay to avert another strike.
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