What’s Our Crime? ASUU Leader Slams FG Over Lecturers’ Poor Pay, Massive Wage Gap

What’s Our Crime? ASUU Leader Slams FG Over Lecturers’ Poor Pay, Massive Wage Gap

Professor Adelaja Odukoya, a renowned scholar of Comparative Political Economy at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), has voiced his frustration over the alleged mistreatment of university lecturers by the Federal Government. He questioned why lecturers, once highly esteemed in Nigeria, are now subjected to poor remuneration and unfair treatment.……READ MORE 

Speaking as the Lagos Zone coordinator of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Odukoya delivered a powerful message during UNILAG’s sixth inaugural lecture of the academic session.

The professor highlighted how university lecturers were well-paid and respected in the 1960s but now struggle with poor salaries. He compared the current earnings of Nigerian professors to those of Supreme Court justices, revealing a massive disparity. While a professor now earns approximately ₦5.4 million per year, a Supreme Court justice reportedly receives ₦64 million per year.

“Have professors suddenly become less important?” Odukoya asked, urging authorities to explain why lecturers face such economic hardship while public servants accumulate wealth.

He further criticized the role of civil servants in determining lecturers’ salaries, arguing that corruption within government circles has led to a system where junior officials amass wealth while academics struggle.

Odukoya emphasized that without significant reforms, education in Nigeria risks further decline, with negative consequences for the country’s socioeconomic future.