University lecturers in Nigeria are among the worst paid on the continent, with full professors earning an average of only \$366 (about ₦500,000) per month, according to an investigation by The PUNCH.
Data on salaries of professors with fewer than 10 years on the professorial cadre show stark contrasts across Africa. While a Nigerian professor earns roughly \$4,400 annually, their South African counterparts take home \$57,471 per year—more than 13 times higher.
Other African countries also outpay Nigeria:
* Uganda: \$50,595 annually
* Kenya: \$48,000
* Eswatini: \$41,389
* Lesotho: \$32,455
* Gabon: \$29,907
* Namibia: \$23,922
* Botswana: \$19,935
* Even smaller economies such as Sierra Leone (\$18,000) and Comoros (\$12,960) surpass Nigeria.
Impact on Morale and Brain Drain
Lecturers interviewed by The PUNCH described a worsening brain drain and declining morale. Many have left for government agencies, private sector jobs, or overseas posts offering better pay and conditions.
One professor recounted choosing a foreign fellowship stipend over a Nigerian salary of less than €350 monthly. Another lecturer narrated how colleagues on sabbatical with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or other government bodies earned multiple times their university pay, with some refusing to return to academia.
Passion for teaching, once the reason many remained, is no longer enough. “Why work hard and still be unable to send your children to good schools or afford healthcare?” one senior academic asked.
Stagnant Pay Structure
Under the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure, Nigerian professors currently earn between ₦525,010 and ₦633,333 before deductions. Graduate Assistants earn as little as ₦125,000–₦138,020 monthly. The last official salary renegotiation was in 2009.
Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, lamented the decline: “As Vice Chancellor, I earned ₦900,000 as salary. My present salary as a professor is ₦700,000. My son saw my pay slip and described it as a joke.”
Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President Emmanuel Piwuna blamed government neglect and prioritisation of politicians’ pay raises: “Our salaries have remained stagnant, and that has affected the quality of lecturers we can attract and our morale.”
Call for Urgent Review
Prof. Tunde Adeoye of the University of Lagos warned that failure to review salaries could trigger another industrial strike. “Many of our members cannot pay their house rents. The government must improve living standards to prevent brain drain,” he said.
Source:
This report is based on “Nigerian Profs earn \$366 monthly, among Africa’s lowest-paid – Investigation,” written by Wale Akinselure and published by The PUNCH on September 16, 2025.
Reproduced here for informational purposes with acknowledgment to The PUNCH (punchng.com).
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.