Gambiaj.com – (ABIA State, Nigeria) – Abia State University (ABSU) has suspended a professor from its Department of Economics after he claimed that lecturers at the institution are among the lowest-paid university academics in Nigeria, with professors earning less than ₦400,000 a month.
Prof. Nnamdi Nwaeze was suspended on Wednesday over a Facebook post in which he questioned the remuneration of academic staff at the university and linked the issue to the recent industrial action declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at ABSU.
The university announced the suspension on Thursday in a statement by its spokesperson and Deputy Registrar, Chijioke Nwogu.
Professor Raises Pay Concerns
In the Facebook post, Nwaeze said he was familiar with the issues behind the industrial action but had refrained from discussing them publicly for fear of being labelled an “enemy of the state” or being dismissed over what could be considered a political statement.
He alleged that ABSU lecturers were still being paid under the 2009 ASUU/Federal Government salary structure, rather than newer salary structures introduced in 2024 and December 2025.
According to the professor, the failure to implement the newer salary structures had left ABSU academics significantly worse off than their counterparts at federal and other state universities.
“Are you aware that professors in all the federal and most state universities now earn between N1.3m and N1.4m as against what is obtainable in ABSU?” he asked.
Nwaeze further claimed that professors at ABSU earn less than ₦400,000 monthly, while commercial tricycle operators, commonly known as keke riders, could earn more than ₦450,000.
He also contrasted lecturers’ salaries with the remuneration of political office holders in Abia State, claiming that a local government councillor earns about ₦600,000 a month while a House of Assembly member receives about ₦8 million in net salary.
“Most appointees of this government can pay the salary of a professor and still have enough to take care of their families and personal needs,” he wrote.
University Launches Investigation
ABSU management said the professor’s post was “inimical to the interests of the university and uncomplimentary to the visitors of the university.”
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State is the visitor to the university.
The university has constituted an investigative panel to examine the circumstances surrounding the post and the allegations contained in it.
“The suspension takes immediate effect pending the outcome of the investigation by the panel,” Nwogu said.
The suspension comes amid wider tensions over university staff remuneration in Nigeria, where academic unions have repeatedly raised concerns over salaries, working conditions, and the implementation of agreements reached with the federal and state governments.
For now, Nwaeze’s allegations remain subject to the university’s investigation, while the suspension places his claims about ABSU’s pay structure at the center of an internal disciplinary process.
Leave a Reply