University lecturers in Nigeria have emerged among the worst paid in Africa, with professors earning an average of $366 (about N500,000) monthly, far behind their counterparts in other countries on the continent, findings by The PUNCH have revealed.

Data on salaries of professors with less than 10 years on the professorial cadre in African public universities show that while a Nigerian professor earns about $4,400 annually, a South African professor takes home $57,471 yearly — more than 13 times higher.

Uganda follows with $50,595 per annum, then Kenya with $48,000 per annum, while countries with far smaller economies than Nigeria, such as 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 Africa’s largest economy.

Countries who pay their professors than Nigeria also include Namibia ($23,922), Botswana ($19,935), Angola ($15,948), Seychelles ($13,950), Ghana ($12,960), Mauritius ($12,411), Malawi ($12,366), Zimbabwe ($6,578).

The disparity, some lecturers, in conversations with The PUNCH, lamented, has deepened poor morale, worsened brain drain, and left many academics seeking alternatives in government agencies, foreign institutions, and the private sector.

“There was an opportunity to do a fellowship. The offer was to decide to be paid by the funder or continue to collect a salary from your institution, but the condition to be paid by the funder is if your salary is not up to €1,200 in a month as a professor.

“This is someone who earns less than 500k, which is barely €350. I opted to forego a Nigerian salary and be paid by the funder. That is the reality of our poor pay,” one professor told The PUNCH.

Another academic recalled how a colleague on sabbatical at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission initially earned close to a million naira, before returning to a university payslip of barely N250,000.

“He said the guy told him that even our National Diploma holders earn more than this. That this is what the Academic Staff Union of Universities should fight for,” the lecturer said.

Several professors, it was gathered, have also taken sabbatical leave with the Nigerian Army and vowed not to return to their campuses.

“A unit in the University of Ibadan has lost three professors to one of the agencies of the federal government. His allowances for any assignment outside Lagos, apart from a fully paid five-star hotel, food and transport, is nothing less than N250,000 apart from salary that is around N2m per month.

“In UI, his salary is around 350k. And he does a less intellectually demanding job there. There is light, and he has a team working with him,” a lecturer narrated.

Another lecturer explained how passion for teaching no longer sustains many academics.

“My friend got a job where he was earning like N800,000 per month about six years ago, and returned to academics because of his passion to collect around N180,000. Now the system has choked him, and he is already on his way out, never to return, sadly.”

Some lamented that the decline of university remuneration has left the system with “political academics.”

“The sad thing is that you will have those who have things to impart exit the system while ‘political academics’ with no substance are getting recruited,” another lecturer said.

Many academics who spoke to The PUNCH admitted that the only reason they previously remained was to contribute to nation-building.

“Before, we used to ask, ‘If we all leave, who will teach our children?’ But now, people are saying, ‘Why work hard and still be unable to send your children to good schools or afford healthcare?’

“What held people down before was that if we all leave, who will teach our children? But now, people are saying you can go and make money to sponsor your children to any standard school of your choice. Why will you work hard and not be able to cater for your health, education and basic needs?” a senior academic added.

Recall that The PUNCH had earlier exclusively reported that under Nigeria’s Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, Graduate Assistants earn between N125,000 and N138,020 monthly, while professors earn between N525,010 and N633,333 before deductions.

Assistant Lecturers earn between N150,000 and N171,487; Lecturer II (N186,543–N209,693); Lecturer I (N239,292–N281,956); Senior Lecturer (N386,101–N480,780); and Readers (N436,392–N522,212).

During a visit to The PUNCH house, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, lamented that poor remuneration had eroded lecturers’ commitment.

“The lecturers are tired, the morale is low, and academic staff members are on the edge, itching to leave. The standard of teaching is going down. As Vice Chancellor, I earned N900,000 as salary. My present salary as a professor, still in the system, is N700,000. My son saw my pay slip and described it as a joke. Do you know that some lecturers sleep in the office?” he said.

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Emmanuel Piwuna, speaking with The PUNCH, blamed stagnant salaries on government neglect.

“Professors who were earning a little over N400,000 have still not been able to get to the N500,000 mark, except for professors who have had annual increases for maybe 10, 20 years. Meanwhile, the political class keeps approving new pay rises for themselves,” he said.

He argued that neglect of academics had crippled universities’ ability to attract quality lecturers, worsened morale, and reduced academic output.

“Our salaries have remained stagnant, and that has affected the quality of lecturers that we can attract into the universities. That has also affected our morale, and because our morale is low, certainly the output would also be affected. And so our salaries have been a major area of concern for our members,” he added.

The ASUU president criticised the Federal Government for prioritising pay increases for politicians while ignoring academics.

“Well, from experience, Nigerian elites or the political class always look after themselves. So, we’re not surprised that the arms of government that Nigerians are most dissatisfied with are the ones that are getting the pay rise, while those who work day and night to ensure that the country keeps moving, who are making tangible contributions to the growth of this country, are being neglected,” Piwuna stated.

He noted that the last time lecturers’ salaries were renegotiated was in 2009.

“Talking about increases, for instance, this government has made an increase through the minimum wage, but all that was added to our salaries, and it’s for every public service, is N40,000,” he said.

Recently, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Lagos, Prof. Tunde Adeoye, urged the Federal Government to urgently review salaries of lecturers to avert another industrial strike.

“The Federal Government needs to be sensitive to the plight of lecturers and engage them in renegotiating the 2009 agreement. The major issue is improving the salary structure of academics,” Adeoye said.

He added that the salary of a professor in a Nigerian university was about N500,000 without deductions, and about N300,000 after deductions.

“The ASUU members equally have families and aged parents to cater for. As it is now, many of our members cannot pay their house rents. In some African countries like Kenya and Zimbabwe, lecturers are paid better than in Nigeria. The government must improve our living standards and conditions of service to prevent brain drain,” Adeoye warned.

SALARIES EARNED BY PROFESSORS (WITH FEW YEARS) IN AFRICAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES ($)

Country Monthly Annual

South Africa $4,789.5 $57,471

Uganda $4,216.22 $50,595

Kenya $4,000 $48,000

Eswatini $3,449.01 $41,389

Equitorial Guinea $2,990.25 $35,883

Lesotho $2,704.5 $32,455

Gabon $2,492.25 $29,907

Namibia $1,993.50 $23,922

Botswana $1,661.25 $19,935

Sierra Leone $1,500 $18,000

Seychelles $1,162.50 $13,950

Angola $1,329 $15,948

Zambia $1,245.75 $14,949

Egypt $1,129.00 $13,548.00

Comoros $1,080 $12,960

Ghana $1,080 $12,960

Mauritius $1,034.25 $12,411

Malawi $1,030.50 $12,366

Zimbabwe $548.25 $6,579

Nigeria $366.66 $4,400

(Punch)

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