The call comes amid widespread protests on Tuesday across several campuses, protesting the Federal Government’s failure to implement the renegotiated 2009 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.

According to documents reviewed by Saturday PUNCH, the current Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure leaves professors earning between N525,010 and N633,333 monthly, a figure that pales in comparison to their counterparts in other African countries, where average salaries range from $2,000 to $4,000 (approximately N3.2 million to N6.4 million at current exchange rates). 

Lower ranks fare even worse: Graduate Assistants receive N125,000 to N138,020, Assistant Lecturers N150,000 to N171,487, Lecturer II N186,543 to N209,693, Lecturer I N239,292 to N281,956, Senior Lecturers N386,101 to N480,780, and Readers N436,392 to N522,212.Prof. 

Remi Aiyede, a professor at the University of Ibadan, emphasized the urgency of the demand in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, stating, “Nigerian professors are grossly underpaid compared to colleagues in other African countries. A government-commissioned report had already recommended similar figures. 

After the Nimi-Briggs Commission, a committee set up by this government submitted a report to the President recommending that a professor should earn about N2.5 million.” He added that even N1 million would be conservative, given the international benchmarks.

The protests, which rocked institutions including the University of Lagos and the University of Ibadan, highlight the dire conditions faced by academics. 

Many professors are forced to squat in outdated staff quarters, rely on student buses for transport, or live on loans to make ends meet. 

Prof. Abigail Ndizika-Ogwezzy from the University of Lagos’ Department of Mass Communication painted a vivid picture of the struggles: “Anything less than N2.5 million for a professor at the bar is not it. If I want a house in this Akoka area, it’s not less than N3 million per year. 

Then won’t I feed, pay my children’s fees, ride a good car, and take care of my health? We are carrying the burden of three, four, five people. It’s impacting our health—our eyes from reading scripts, preparing notes, research, publishing, conferences, and community service.”

Former ASUU President Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke echoed these sentiments, advocating for salaries between N1 million and N5 million monthly. 

“If Nigeria truly values education and wants its universities to compete globally, professors must be paid what they are worth. Anything short of this will only worsen the brain drain,” he told Saturday PUNCH. 

He pointed out the stark disparity with political salaries, noting that even N1.2 million annually for a professor is less than what some legislators earn in a single month.Prof. Sheriffdeen Tela from Babcock University also supported the N2.5 million benchmark, criticizing the government’s preference for loans over proper pay. 

“Many professors live on loans because their salaries are not enough. Instead of giving them appropriate pay, the Federal Government wants to give them loans, which is wrong.”

The demands are rooted in ongoing negotiations over the 2009 agreement, which includes improved salaries, better funding for universities, and enhanced conditions of service. 

A recent government committee’s report, submitted to the President, reportedly aligns with the N2.5 million figure, yet implementation has stalled. 

ASUU has warned that without action, further industrial action, including strikes, could loom, echoing past disruptions that have paralyzed the education sector.