The Digest:
Former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Professor Wande Abimbola, has warned that Nigeria’s university system is on the verge of collapse due to chronic underfunding and poor remuneration for academics. He revealed that a Nigerian professor’s monthly salary of ₦500,000 is equivalent to what a gardener in the United States earns in just three hours.
Key Points
- A Nigerian professor earns approximately ₦500,000 monthly, equivalent to $300, a sum a US gardener can earn in 3 hours.
- Prof. Abimbola described academics’ salaries as a “pittance” and lamented the systemic decay in universities.
- He criticized federal and state governments for establishing new universities without adequately funding existing ones.
- Nigerian universities have dropped in global rankings, once being among Africa’s top 11 but now struggling significantly.
- Abimbola called for a commission of inquiry to investigate and revitalize the university system.
- He recalled the higher standards he had set during his tenure as VC in 1989 and noted the rapid decline that occurred within a decade after his exit.
- The former VC urged governments to either fund universities properly or shut them down to avoid further embarrassment.
Sources: PM News
