A fresh report has revealed that Nigeria spends about ₦2.354 billion every month on the salaries and office costs of its 109 senators, an amount that could pay the wages of over 4,700 professors nationwide.
The revelation has once again put a spotlight on the glaring salary disparity between political office holders and academics, at a time when universities are struggling with underfunding, poor facilities, and mass migration of lecturers.
Senators earn ₦21m monthly
Senator Kawu Sumaila (Kano South) disclosed to BBC Hausa Service on August 14, 2024, that each senator receives around ₦21.6 million monthly, including office running costs.
“The salary itself is less than ₦1 million. But each senator is given ₦21 million every month as the cost of running his office,” Sumaila said, noting that this figure alone could cover the wages of about 43 senior professors.
By comparison, Professor Nasir Hassan-Wagini of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University told Daily Trust that Nigerian professors earn an average of just ₦500,000 monthly after deductions.
Academics decry low pay and harsh conditions
For many professors, the widening gap is more than numbers; it’s a lived reality.
Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, President of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), noted that lecturers had remained on nearly the same pay scale since 2009, with only a slight adjustment last year.
“Currently, the gross salary of a professor is about ₦700,000. After tax and deductions, it comes to around ₦500,000. It’s difficult to even access a ₦10–15 million loan for a car under these conditions,” he said.
Professors Balarabe Abdullahi (Ahmadu Bello University) and Samuel Agu (Abia State University) echoed similar frustrations, saying many colleagues are forced into side hustles ranging from extra teaching jobs to petty trading just to survive.
Education rights advocates demand reform
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has long warned that poor salaries, alongside inadequate funding, are crippling the system.
In Abuja alone, the union said 46 lecturers died in 2024, with poor welfare and economic stress contributing factors.
“Professors are the custodians of knowledge, yet many live in near-poverty,” Prof. Abdullahi lamented, adding that some colleagues “have gone days without cooking a proper meal for their families.”
Education rights campaigner Hassan Soweto called the disparity “illogical,” telling Leadership:
“It makes no sense that a senator earns more than a professor. Politics is supposed to be service, not a career that pays more than education.”
Nigeria lags behind its peers in Africa
Comparisons show Nigerian academics are among the worst-paid in Africa.
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South Africa: Senior professors earn up to ₦89.4 million annually.
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Morocco: Up to ₦63.3 million annually.
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Kenya: Around ₦4.3 million monthly.
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Niger Republic: Over ₦24 million annually.
In Nigeria, even after a 25–35% wage increase, ASUU President Prof. Chris Piwuna said professors still take home less than ₦500,000 monthly.
“Our members are restless,” he said. “The honeymoon with government is over.”
Experts like Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, former Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, have urged a national conference to tackle salaries, funding, and systemic challenges in higher education.
Meanwhile, ASUU has escalated its fight with the government, recently adopting a no-pay-no-work policy over delayed salaries.
The controversy leaves Nigerians with a pressing question: if lawmakers’ salaries can pay thousands of professors, why does education remain underfunded?
