One of the prominent lecturers in Nigerian universities, Professor Balarabe Abdullahi, has stated that university lecturers in Nigeria are facing hardship and lack of welfare because the federal government does not consider them important.
Professor Balarabe, who is a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, made the statement during an interview with RFI Hausa, which was also followed up by DRT News.
“We can go up to 40 days without receiving our salaries, so we are forced to find other means to get extra income to meet our needs and those of our children,” he said.
He added that in many cases, his fellow professors cry over the fact that they have spent two to three days without cooking at home due to the extreme poverty they are experiencing.
“There is no professor who can afford to send their child to a private school if they rely solely on their salary, let alone own a car,” he added.
Professor Balarabe said that during the eight-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), many lecturers died, and some of their family members also passed away due to lack of salary, food, and access to medical care.
When asked what led to the situation, he said it was the government’s refusal to reform the salary structure of university lecturers, pointing out that the promises made in the 2009 agreement with the federal government have still not been fulfilled.
Balarabe lamented that professors’ salaries remain negligible compared to those of some lecturers in federal colleges of education, even though the latter do not hold the same academic rank.
Even now, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on another strike due to the non-payment of their June salaries.