The crippling effects of the downturn in the nation?s economy, coupled with the fallouts from the policies initiated by the Federal Government to bring the economy back on track, have not spared any sector.

Consequently, university teachers are now groaning under the yoke of unfavourable economic conditions.

Checks from across the country showed that to stay afloat, university teachers have cut down on a lot of things to save cost.

To save transport cost, some now park their cars at home and commute to work in public transport. Some even sleep in their offices, so as to reduce the cost of taking public transport to their offices multiple times in a week, while others have abandoned postgraduate programmes, especially those trying to get doctorate degrees, due to financial constraints.

Like some of the universities set up during the Second Republic by state governments of the then Bendel, Ondo and Ogun states, the Lagos State University, LASU, Ojo, Lagos was conceived as non-residential, meaning most staff and students are to live off campus. That was in the 1980s.

For LASU, the development meant many staff live in other parts of Lagos, such as Iba, Badagry and even as far as Ikorodu where some were able to build their own houses.

With the high cost of fuel, bad roads and the attendant traffic jams, some lecturers have opted to use their offices as temporary residences.

The development got to a point that the Senate of the university last June had to come out to condemn and warn against the development.

During its 311th statutory meeting held on Thursday, June 27, 2024, which considered a paper, Ref No: LASU/SEN/ST.311/024/AOB sent by the security unit of the university, the Senate frowned on sleeping in offices by lecturers and students.

The report had, among other things, said some members of staff and students were of the habit of sleeping in their offices and classrooms, to the extent of utilising kitchen utensils and other makeshift arrangement.

?This behaviour is not only unbecoming but also poses significant security risks and health concerns,? the Senate noted.

A lecturer in the university, who spoke in confidence, said: ?We all know that the initial plan by the founding fathers of the university was to make it non-residential. That was what all the state governments controlled by the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, in the Second Republic did in Ogun, Lagos, Bendel and Ondo states.

??But things have changed. Moving from one point to another has become difficult in Lagos. Some roads have gone bad. Some of us here built our own houses in Badagry, Epe and even Ikorodu. Imagine having to commute daily from those places to the main campus here in Ojo.

?The high cost of living has not helped matters too. Many of us cannot afford to secure accommodation in nearby communities. The rent is high. Even when you secure a small place for yourself, and you have your family in your own house in Badagry for instance, where is the money to run two homes? It is a difficult situation.??

Speaking on what university lecturers now go through, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the University of Jos, Prof. Jurbe Mwolwus, said lecturers across Plateau State were not immune to the current hardship in the country.

He said: ?We have not witnessed the situation where our lecturers sleep in their offices. I am not aware of such, but people are surviving one day at a time. Many have parked their cars, trekking and using public transport to get to work.??

Prof. Adediran Ademiju-Bepo of the Department of Theatre and Film Arts, University of Jos, added: ?I am not aware of any of my colleagues sleeping in their offices, but we are not finding it easy. God is helping us; my house is very far from the university, I live in Jos East local government area, and I have some responsibilities on the campus outside teaching.

??I lecture twice a week and I go anytime I have other things to do. I sometimes leave my vehicle at home and go on public transport. I spend a lot on transport.?

Prof. Chris Piwuna of the same institution, said: ?I am not aware of such a situation. Generally, with the transport situation, people are not able to be on campus every day. The availability and accessibility to students have reduced and the work they need to do on campus, they are unable to do.

?The Band A issue of electricity has challenged the university in having a steady power supply on campus; we are faced with one challenge or the other. We are either unable to go or when you get there, there is no power to get things done.?

From Plateau State University, Bokkos, the situation is not different as a lecturer who preferred anonymity maintained: ?Many of us stay outside Bokkos and this economic situation has made us stay back in Bokkos two to three days a week, you either rent an apartment in Bokkos or get a place where you pay N5,000 per night, sleep and do what you need to do before going back home.

?That is cheaper than making the journey every day. The school bus is not adequate, and the security situation in Bokkos is also a problem that will not even allow any lecturer think of spending the night in the office.?

We spend our salaries on transport fare, no staff quarters- Ebonyi varsity lecturers

Ebonyi State University, EBSU, branch chairman of ASUU, Prof. Ikechuku Okorie Igwenyi, said the lecturers in the university were worst hit as there is no single accommodation for the university staff.

He said most lecturers have parked their vehicles at home due to their inability to fuel their cars to school, stressing that university staff members pay N3,000 transport fare to and from school daily.

Prof. Igwenyi described the situation of EBSU staff as most appalling because of the distance from town where lecturers live to go to the permanent site of the university.

He said: ?In EBSU, we operate more of an off-campus system where most staff and students live outside the campus. The pain is excruciating and biting harder, given the economic situation of today. House owners have increased rent, there is no three bed room flat that is less than N600,000 annually in the town.

?It is troublesome because the meagre salary can no longer carry the increase in everything. We have a situation where a professor is paid about N400,000; so we can?t afford the luxury anymore. The main campus is a bit far from the town; so as it stands today, we need at least N3,000 to go to work every day; it?s that bad. Most lecturers have parked their vehicles because they cannot fuel them.

?I appeal to the state government and management to provide staff quarters within the school premises and then increase our salaries to take care of our bills, including transport fares to school, because our take home salaries can?t foot our bills anymore.??

The Chairman of ASUU, Alex Ekwueme University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo, AE-FUNAI, Dr. Louis Omenyi, said that staff spend their one month salary within two weeks on transport fare to school.

He explained that the university doesn?t have staff quarters, making it difficult to operate from Abakaliki to Ikwo where the school is situated.

?The situation has worsened due to economic crisis in the country. Our monthly salaries can?t carry us to school for one month, it can only take us for two weeks due to lack of accommodation in the school. The management said there is no fund to build staff quarters in the school.

?We are appealing to the Federal Government to increase our salaries to be able to cater for our families, pay our bills and transport us to school daily. We are aware of inflation, occasioned by the economic brouhaha. So, we are calling on the Federal Government to provide accommodation in the long run and consider the increase in our salaries to enable us attend to our duties diligently,? he appealed.

A lecturer in the Department.of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Prof. Oludayo Tade, said: ?I am increasingly alarmed by the welfare challenges we face. The lack of adequate staff accommodation has become a critical issue.

??Many of us live far from campus, leading to exhausting commuting, and some even resort to sleeping in offices after late lectures. This situation not only affects our physical and mental well-being, but also diminishes our capacity to engage effectively with our students.

?The current economic climate further complicates these challenges. With rising inflation and stagnant salaries, many lecturers struggle to meet basic needs. Juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet takes a toll on our health and our focus on teaching and research.

??These issues do not only impact us, they also have significant repercussions for our students. When we are overworked and stressed, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide the quality education and support they deserve.

??It is crucial that we address these welfare concerns. Improved housing, fair salaries, and better working conditions are essential to foster an environment where both lecturers and students can thrive. We must advocate change; our future in education depends on it.?

ASUU chairman at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Ayoola Akinwole, stated: ?I must bring attention to the urgent welfare issues confronting our lecturers. A major concern is the insufficient accommodation for staff.

??Many of us live far from campus, leading to long and exhausting daily commuting, with some even having to sleep in their offices. This reality affects our health and diminishes our ability to support our students effectively.

?The current economic situation further complicates these matters. With inflation rising and salaries remaining stagnant, many lecturers struggle to afford basic necessities. This financial strain often leads to the need for additional jobs, which detracts from our primary responsibilities in teaching and research.

?These challenges extend beyond personal struggles; they significantly impact our students as well. When lecturers are overwhelmed and stressed, the quality of education suffers, ultimately affecting student engagement and success.

??It is essential for us to come together to advocate better working conditions, fair remuneration, and adequate housing. Addressing these welfare concerns is critical for the future of education at the University of Ibadan, benefiting both faculty and students. Together, we can work toward creating the change that is so desperately needed.?

The Chairman of ASUU, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, MOUAU, Prof. Chike Ugwuene, said he could only comment on the matter with permission from the national leadership.

?I don?t have permission to speak on the matter. It?s part of the matter our national president is taking up with the Federal Government. It?s part of their dialogues and negotiations, and until these dialogues fail, I cannot speak on them?.

However, some lecturers of the university who pleaded anonymity, for fear of victimisation, lamented the high cost of transportation to and from campus.

The lecturers, majority of who live and operate from Umuahia, a distance of about six kilometers, said they spend so much on transportation, arguing that they are left with virtually nothing after deducting transportation cost, cost of writing papers for publication in journals, attending conferences and other obvious costs from their salary.

We?re struggling to survive, economy is too harsh ? ASUU Coordinator, Akure zone

Prof. Adeola, the Coordinator, Akure Zone of ASUU, noted: ?We are coping; all we are trying to do is to ensure that whatever we can do to ensure efficiency, we do. There are five working days in a week, but some have chosen to come two or three days, but no one comes all the days of the week anymore. ??The reality on ground is that things are difficult. The current government is not listening to anyone. They are asking us to sacrifice but those in government are living luxuriously. They are making us suffer, we have colleagues who live in Ilesa, Osogbo to come to Ile-Ife daily, burning fuel to the tune of N30,000 weekly on the minimum.

?? How do you justify that? I maintain my stance, I am a Professor, my salary is a little over N500,000. How do I put in my 100 per cent?

?The government, I believe, seems not to be interested in people giving their best. We, in the academics, do not shy away from our duty. We are doing our best to ensure students continue to excel, using our blood. But the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is not doing anything good in any sector.

Lecturers in Taraba State University, Jalingo, who embarked on an indefinite strike over welfare issues, have decried the poor working conditions they had endured for years.

In conversations with Vanguard, some lecturers expressed frustration over the lack of proper motivation, delayed salaries, and an overall challenging work environment which, they said, had negatively affected both their professional and personal lives.

Speaking to Vanguard, the institution?s Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Atando Agbu, said: ?Lecturing is very tedious and requires both mental and physical engagement, which can only be achieved when one is well-fed and rested. Unfortunately, poor remuneration makes this difficult.

?At the moment, we have not been paid our November salary, and we are in December. It?s disheartening to think of the future when there is no pension plan in place for lecturers here. This alone creates anxiety and discouragement.

??When we return home, we are also expected to care for our families and handle domestic matters. But without proper support, it becomes a constant struggle.?

The chairperson of the institution?s Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Dr Garba Joshua, said they embarked on an indefinite strike due to the failure of the university management and the state government to address critical welfare and institutional issues, despite being granted a 30-day relief period that expired on July 4, 2024.

Also, a lecturer in Sa?adatu Rimi College of Education, Dr Abdussalam Kani, lamented the poor welfare of lecturers.

He said: ?It has not been easy, bearing in mind the inflationary trend in Nigeria which is beyond the expectation of every Nigerian and members of the academia inclusive. Because if you look at it, our income remains stagnant, the new minimum wage is yet to be implemented.

Chairman of University of Ilorin branch of ASUU, Dr Alex Akanmu, and his counterpart in Kwara State University, Malete, Comrade AbdulGaniyu Salau, shared their views. Dr Akanmu described his colleagues as the most patriotic in the course of performing their civic duties.

?We are the worst paid when you compare our patriotic nature to expand the pool of knowledge and what we get as salary, which is meagre. If you look at what we get as take home, in terms of welfare packages, it?s nothing compared to what our counterparts get in other countries of the world.

?I need not tell you that the issue of transportation has become a major issue. Salaries are stagnant, fuel price has increased and people need to come to work, and if you live at a very far place to your institution, you begin to wonder which day of the week you should come to work and those who stay in far-flung places have to find somewhere nearby to stay.

?The staff quarters we got years back are still the same. No expansion; government is not building more and then the staff number has far increased. So those who stay very far have to make makeshift arrangements to allow them cope with the working conditions,?? he said.

In his response, Chairman of ASUU in Kwara State University, Comrade AbdulGaniyu Salau, said the union had pressed for palliatives for its members, which were successfully secured in surviving the hard times.

According to him: ?What we have been able to achieve as a union is to press for some of the palliatives for our members. We?ve been able to raise our hazard allowance from 80 to 100 per cent and we wrote to the university to give us some buses which they have done.

?Also, in the last one week, the university council has approved the implementation of minimum wage for all staff in KWASU. We have been running some programmes and we have some sandwich programmes. All our members are rewarded at the end of the academic programme.

?The economic hardship is still telling on our members. Our salary was last reviewed in 2009; the one we got last was 25% and 35% which was not what we bargained for. The 2009 agreement stated that our salary should be reviewed every three years.

??But during the tenure of Chris Ngige as minister of labour and employment, rather than approve the agreed package, the government decided to give us award which we received: 35% for professors and others 25%.?

Commenting on the issue, the National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, said students were at the receiving end of it all.

?If lecturers are not able to put in their best because of welfare issues, it is the students who bear the brunt. Instead of engaging students three times a week, some lecturers will just come once. Some don?t even come to class.

??Also, some lecturers would subtly make students pay for things they ought not to pay for. These students also have their own challenges, as their parents are also affected by the economic situation in the country. But for the students not to incur the wrath of their lecturers, they will have to use their allowances to meet such obligations,? he stated.

Parents, under the aegis of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, have called on the government to make lecturers happy.

The National President, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, while commenting on the development, opined that a happy worker would put in his best.

?The lecturers are human. They need to be made happy. The government should take their welfare as a priority. Education is not what we can allow to suffer and teachers at all levels are important in the sector.

??If the welfare of lecturers is ignored, they won?t be able to put in their best. As parents, we also don?t want a situation that lecturers would consider going on strike. We have had enough of that. We plead with the government to be alive to its responsibility. All that are due to the lecturers should be given them.?

They now take loans to be able to pay their children?s school fees. Some lecturers that are pursuing higher degrees, especially those at PhD level, have abandoned their studies because of their inability to cope. They have many other personal and pressing things to also take care of.

?The government must pay us living wages and we are the worst paid, even in sub-Saharan Africa. Imagine if someone earns about N500,000 monthly, what does that translate to in dollars? A hungry teacher may not be able to give the best to his students,? he stated.

The National President of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, charged the government to show empathy regarding the plight of lecturers.

?Government should show empathy and be tactical in handling the welfare issues of lecturers. Lecturers who have to sleep in their offices because they live far from campus, are putting themselves in difficult situations. Let the government pay us living wages and take the issue of our welfare as a top priority,? he said.

The federal government has, however, said the welfare of lecturers was a priority, assuring that it was not playing with it.

The Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Education, Folasade Boriowo, while commenting on the matter, noted that the government took the issue of welfare of lecturers, students and others with seriousness.

The government does not take issues relating to the education sector with levity. That shows in the various interventions. For the institutions, various steps are being taken to improve them. For students, the Student Loan Scheme is one of the intervention steps.

??For lecturers, the constant engagement between them and the government is there. To make things better, the Yayale Ahmed Committee is engaging lecturers now to resolve some issues. The government cares and is doing the needful,? she said. (Vanguard, but headline rejigged)

Update news