Will better pay refocus Nigeria’s lecturers?

After years of negotiations, industrial tension, and broken promises, I must confess I received the news of a proposed 40 per cent salary increase for Nigerian university lecturers with soothing relief and cautious optimism. This adjustment – perhaps the most significant in more than a decade – signals a long-overdue recognition of the centrality of academics in shaping national progress. Since the first major ASUU strike in 1988 that was necessitated by the government’s Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) and the non-implementation of the Elongated University Salary Scale (EUSS), lecturers in public universities have endured stagnant earnings, shrinking purchasing power, and a salary structure that failed to match rising living costs. According to a document signed by ASUU President, Dr. Chris Piwuna, the union is prepared to accept the new offer “barring any last-minute change.” The proposal also includes improved earned academic allowances pegged at 12 per cent of each university’s academic salary expenditure, as well as commitments to autonomy, future policy reviews, and sustainable university funding. These are positive steps. A hearty congratulations to the Minister of Education, Dr. Morufu Olatunji Alausa, for this feat.

Yet, amid this cautious optimism, an essential question arises: Will this salary increase be enough to motivate lecturers to focus fully on teaching, research, and mentorship – without dependence on side hustles such as visiting lectureships? As a university lecturer, I know that our motivation is beyond money. There is no doubt that many lecturers turned to supplementary income sources out of necessity rather than choice. Let me share a very interesting experience. About three years ago, I conducted a training workshop on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) for Engineering Lecturers at University of Ibadan. One module emphasized the need for student-centered approach – including office hours for students to clear doubts, remedial classes for slow learners and prompt feedback based on continuous assessments. One senior professor raised his hand and asked: “who is going to pay me for this extra effort?” I was agape. There could be no satisfactory answer either way. Yes, there should be OBE Allowance. When? No, you are already being paid for teaching. Is it enough? I realised that as one education expert famously said, “You cannot expect first-class teaching from a lecturer living a second-class life.”

The 40 per cent increase can help restore dignity and economic security, but it will only be effective within a broader system of stability and respect for academic labour. By inclination and temperament, I enjoyed my more than two-decade experience as an academic in the middle eastern universities. Even in Nigeria, I relish my journey of formal teaching, students mentoring, research and nationwide evangelism on OBE implementation in engineering faculties. This is my beautiful academic life. But I am sure, many lecturers will agree with me that our life’s motivation relies not only on salary but also on: conducive working and learning environments, access to research grants and conference opportunities, timely and predictable payments, reasonable workloads and adequate staffing and institutional autonomy and accountability. If these elements move together, the salary increase can reduce the compulsion to chase external engagements. But if only the salary is adjusted while structural challenges persist, the improvement may be insufficient to eliminate the “survival hustle mentality” among academics.

The issue of salary increases, and staff welfare are particularly important because Nigeria’s future depends on skilled talent. Nigeria is standing at a demographic crossroads. The population is projected to reach about 400 million by 2050, potentially becoming the third most populous country in the world. Nearly 70 per cent of these people will be 30 years and below. This is either the foundation of a vibrant workforce or a driver of instability. I have practical experience of this challenge. I write this from central Kano City – where last week rival youth gangs engaged in vicious street fights. Some used their fists. Some used local improvised weapons. At the end, the local populace was left bloodied, broken and traumatised. The warning is clear: “A youth population without skills is not a demographic dividend; it is a demographic time bomb.”

To harness this population boom, Nigeria must maintain the momentum of the current appeasement to ASUU and build a robust pipeline of talent in the disciplines that will define the future. Some of them are: artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure, renewable energy and climate engineering, advanced agriculture and food systems and biomedical sciences and biotechnology. Producing graduates who can thrive in these fields requires lecturers who are knowledgeable, motivated, research-active, and fully committed to mentoring the next generation. It is well-known that, “No nation can rise above the quality of its teachers—and no university can rise above the morale of its lecturers.”

This is not an empty claim. We have many lessons from the nations that got it right. Countries that industrialised in one or two generations invested deliberately in higher education. Let me cite three examples. (i) South Korea transformed from an agrarian economy to a global technology leader by investing heavily in universities and lecturer welfare. (ii) Finland rebuilt its economy through education reforms that emphasised teacher and lecturer motivation as national priorities. And (iii) China’s technological rise was accelerated by massive funding for universities and improved academic working conditions. These nations understood a simple principle: “The classroom is the factory where national destinies are manufactured.” Nigeria cannot afford to ignore this truth. It is telling that university lecturers had to threaten to embark on industrial action to obtain a paltry 40 per cent salary increase over the last one and a half decades.

The proposed salary increase is more than a labour issue – it is a developmental imperative. A well-paid lecturer is not just a satisfied worker; he or she is a multiplier of national wealth, a mentor of future innovators, and a stabiliser of an increasingly youthful society. A lecturer who is focused and not compelled to chase multiple side jobs is more likely to deliver quality lectures, engage in student-centered teaching, properly implement OBE, contribute groundbreaking research, and mentor students effectively. If Nigeria truly wants to avoid the risks of mass unemployment, instability, and migration pressures that come with a youthful but unskilled population, it must maintain a clear priority: motivated and well-supported academics who can shape the workforce of tomorrow.

The 40 per cent salary increase is a commendable achievement. It is a victory for reason, negotiation, and national interest. But for it to translate into academic excellence and economic progress, it must be paired with structural reforms in funding, autonomy, research support, and governance. As one scholar noted, “Educating a nation is not an expense—it is an investment in the only wealth that cannot be stolen: human capital.” Nigeria’s future depends on how well it treats those who build minds. The salary increase is a step in the right direction. The next step is to ensure that lecturers can focus fully on the work of nation-building without economic distractions.

El-Yakubu is a Professor of Chemical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Email: [email protected]

Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5 million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25 million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, click here to find out how it works.

Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.