August 28, 2025 — The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos Zone, has called on the Federal Government to implement the payment of a living wage for Nigerian lecturers, stressing that the current remuneration no longer reflects the harsh economic realities in the country.
Speaking at a press briefing, the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Prof. Adelaja Odukoya, said lecturers across universities are facing severe financial hardship due to inflation, high cost of living, and inadequate salaries. He argued that the government’s failure to review the pay structure has demoralized the academic workforce and is undermining the quality of education.
Odukoya emphasized that a living wage is not a luxury but a necessity to ensure lecturers can meet basic needs, remain motivated, and effectively deliver on their mandate of training future leaders. He noted that many academics are being pushed into poverty, while some are leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad, worsening Nigeria’s brain drain crisis.
The union also urged the government to respect existing agreements, prioritize education funding, and address infrastructural decay in public universities. According to ASUU, investing in university staff welfare is directly tied to the survival and progress of Nigeria’s educational system.
The Federal Government is yet to respond to the fresh demand, but the issue of university lecturers’ pay has remained a recurring subject of disputes, often leading to prolonged strikes that disrupt academic calendars nationwide.