The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has strongly criticised the Federal Government’s proposed 35% salary increase for university lecturers, describing it as grossly inadequate and a reflection of deeper, persistent underfunding of Nigeria’s education sector.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday at the Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), ASUU’s Lagos Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Adesola Nassir, said the offer was “wretched” and would still leave Nigerian academics among the lowest-paid in Africa. He stressed that the proposed increment does little to address years of economic hardship and the deteriorating welfare of lecturers.
According to Nassir, even with the suggested increase, academic staff salaries remain far below sustainable living standards. He noted that when ASUU signed the 2009 agreement with the government, a professor earned the equivalent of about $3,000 monthly. Today, he explained, that figure has dropped drastically to around $400.
He added that the new offer would barely push a professor’s salary to one million naira before tax, and roughly 700,000 naira after deductions — a situation he described as unacceptable and a major factor driving brain drain and declining educational quality.
ASUU also raised concerns over the federal government’s low investment in education. Nassir revealed that funding has remained below 10% for over a decade, with current allocations falling to less than 1% of Nigeria’s GDP. He contrasted this with other African nations, noting that Egypt allocates about 2% while South Africa goes as high as 6%.
He warned that Nigeria’s chronic underfunding of education has reached a dangerous point and urged the government to take decisive action to safeguard the future of its young people. Nassir further called on Nigerians to support ASUU’s demand for significantly increased education funding.
As negotiations continue, ASUU warned that failure to honour the longstanding 2009 agreement may force the union into an indefinite strike. Nassir cautioned that without urgent intervention, Nigeria risks a total shutdown of its public universities.
