The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has declared the Federal Government's proposed 35% salary increase for lecturers unacceptable, calling it a wretched offer that fails to address 15 years of pay stagnation . Union leaders announced this position during press briefings across multiple zones, warning that another nationwide strike is imminent if their demands are not met within a one-month window .
Prof. Monday Igbafen, Zonal Coordinator for the Benin Zone, stated that the government has shown a blatant unwillingness to holistically resolve outstanding issues from the 2009 agreement . He explained that while some non-monetary aspects of the agreement have seen progress, the salary and conditions of service remain a major point of conflict . He labeled the proposed increase a mere drop in the ocean, incapable of reversing the brain drain currently hurting Nigerian universities .
The core of the dispute lies in the long-standing failure to review a salary structure that has been in place since 2009 . Prof. Igbafen highlighted the dramatic change in economic reality since the agreement was signed, a time when the exchange rate was N120 to one U.S. dollar . He revealed that a professor in Nigeria now earns less than $400 per month, a figure he described as a scandalous under-valuation of Nigerian scholars . To remain on the same salary for over 15 years without a meaningful review is not only wicked and inhuman but also a catalyst for industrial disharmony and brain drain, he said .
In Lagos, Zonal Coordinator Prof. Adesola Nassir also rejected the 35% increase, stating it was unscientific and would leave Nigerian academics among the lowest-paid in Africa . He recalled that under the 2009 agreement, a professor earned the equivalent of about $3,000 monthly, a standard that has been completely eroded by inflation and persistent underfunding .
The union challenges the government's claim that a lack of funds prevents a better offer. Prof. Igbafen pointed to data showing a significant increase in government revenue. He noted that state revenues grew by over 62% between 2022 and 2024, while Federal Government revenue saw a humongous increase of over 70% in the same period . The union believes it is a lack of political will, not economic factors, that is undermining the negotiation process .
A comparative analysis of academic salaries across Africa shows the severity of the situation in Nigeria. Nigerian university professors are among the lowest earners on the continent, with a monthly take-home of about $366 . This is roughly 13 times less than what a professor earns in South Africa, where the monthly average is $4,800 . Nigerian academics also earn significantly less than their counterparts in Kenya, Ghana, and Lesotho, and even trail those in smaller economies like Malawi and Seychelles .
This poor remuneration is accelerating a brain drain, driving Nigeria's best minds out of its university system . Union representatives warn that the quality of higher education is deteriorating as experts leave and fewer graduates are attracted to an academic career due to unattractive pay and poor working conditions . One professor anonymously stated that the current pay is depressing and makes it nearly impossible for lecturers to live decently, let alone conduct personal research .
The union temporarily suspended a two-week warning strike after interventions from stakeholders to allow for further government engagement . However, the Benin Zone of ASUU has stated it is ready for a directive from its national leadership to resume the suspended strike action at the expiration of the one-month window . The union is urging the government to conclusively renegotiate the 2009 agreement and address other pending concerns to avert a fresh round of paralysis in Nigeria's public universities .