KEY POINTS
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Nigerian professors earn gardener’s three-hour pay in the U.S.
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Abimbola warns Nigerian universities face imminent collapse.
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Poor funding has dragged institutions down global rankings.
Former Obafemi Awolowo University Vice-Chancellor Wande Abimbola has criticized the federal government over the poor state of Nigerian universities, warning that the system risks collapse without immediate intervention.
Abimbola, 92, a renowned scholar now based in the United States, said professors in Nigeria take home scandalously low salaries compared with global peers. Speaking on the monthly interview series Boiling Point Arena, he described how a professor’s monthly pay is equivalent to what his gardener in America earns for three hours of work.
Nigerian professors earn gardener’s three-hour pay
The former vice-chancellor said the pay gap illustrates the depth of neglect that has driven universities into decay. He noted that when he left OAU in 1989, institutions were still vibrant. Within a decade, however, he said standards had deteriorated so badly that visiting his old campus brought him to tears.
Abimbola said many professors earn about ₦500,000 monthly, which roughly converts to $300, an amount professionals in the U.S. would easily spend on garden services in a single afternoon. He argued that such conditions impoverish academics, making it difficult for them to conduct research, attend international conferences, or publish in reputable journals.
He accused both federal and state governments of indifference. “Why are they looking on as if they are not concerned?” he asked. He added that instead of properly funding existing universities, authorities continue to establish new ones with little regard for quality or sustainability.
Urgent calls for government bailout
According to Vanguard, Abimbola urged the federal government to create a commission of inquiry to recommend practical steps for salvaging the sector. Without significant changes, he warned, Nigeria’s universities will continue their slide in global rankings. Once ranked among Africa’s top 11, Nigerian universities now struggle to appear within the first 1,000 worldwide.
The scholar, who also served as Senate Majority Leader, lamented that the neglect has stripped institutions of international respect. He recalled how Nigeria once produced graduates who went on to excel in science, technology, and the arts globally. That legacy, he said, is at risk of being lost.
He added that the consequence of the current system is not only impoverished professors but also students whose education is undermined by the absence of research funding, journal contributions, and academic exchange.
“Nigerian universities are slowly dying before our eyes,” Abimbola said. “It is a shame, and it must not be allowed to continue.”
