Prof. Tunde Adeoye, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of Lagos, has urged the Federal Government to urgently review the salaries of university lecturers to avert another round of industrial action.
Speaking in an interview in Ota on Wednesday, Adeoye described the current wage structure as grossly inadequate and disconnected from Nigeria’s economic realities.
He explained that a professor earns about ₦500,000 monthly before deductions but takes home roughly ₦300,000 after statutory cuts — a figure he said is insufficient to meet basic needs.
“ASUU members also have families and aged parents to look after. As it stands, many of our colleagues cannot pay their rent. Some who fell ill have died, while others battling hypertension can hardly afford regular medication,” Adeoye lamented.
He further noted that many lecturers are overstretched, often performing the work of four people because of the government’s embargo on new employment in universities.
Adeoye urged the Federal Government to revisit its 2009 agreement with ASUU, stressing that salary increments remain at the heart of the dispute. Unless the issue is addressed, he warned, Nigeria risks further brain drain, pointing out that lecturers in countries such as Kenya and Zimbabwe currently earn more than their Nigerian counterparts.
