The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised alarm over the stagnation of lecturers’ salaries, saying Nigerian university teachers have been on the same pay scale for the past 15 years.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, in Benin City, Edo State, the Benin Zone of ASUU accused the Federal Government of failing to use the one-month window given to resolve issues arising from the 2009 agreement, warning that a fresh nationwide strike could be imminent.
Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Igbafen, said they would await directives from the union’s national leadership.
Flanked by leaders from various universities in the zone, he said, “It is not only regrettable but sad to inform you that the Federal Government has again demonstrated a blatant unwillingness to quickly and holistically resolve all the outstanding issues to restore the desired industrial harmony in our public universities, and in the overall interest of our students.
“While some gaps may have been closed in some non-monetary aspects of the agreement, the salary and conditions of service components remain a sore point that needs a radical approach to stem the impending crisis in the system.
“We have rejected the proposed salary increment by government because it is a mere drop in the ocean that is incapable of achieving the desired reversal of the brain drain syndrome currently bedeviling university education in the country.
“The most obvious implication of the refusal of the government to conclude this negotiation is that university teachers in Nigeria have continued with the same salary regime of 2009, when the value of the naira to a dollar was N120. Salaries in other sectors have since been reviewed upward multiple times.
“It is sad to note that what a professor earns in today’s Nigeria is less than $400 per month, which is a scandalous under-valuation of Nigerian scholars. To continue on the same salary for over 15 years without a meaningful review is not only wicked and inhuman but also a catalyst for resistance, industrial disharmony, and brain drain.”
Igbafen added that the actions and statements of government officials, including the Minister of Education, have worked against a speedy resolution of the issues.
He pointed out that Nigeria’s increasing revenue makes this the right time to address university funding.
“We are not unaware of the 2022 data from the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee, which confirmed that states received N3.92 trillion, while the figure for 2024 was N5.81 trillion, showing a 62 per cent increase. Similarly, the Federal Government received N3.42 trillion in 2022 and N4.65 trillion in 2024, a 70 per cent increase.
“Consequently, we believe it is more a lack of political will than economic factors that is undermining the resolution of this renegotiation process. The Benin Zone of ASUU is ready to follow the directive of the NEC to resume the suspended strike action once the one-month window expires.”
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