Ilorin, Nigeria — Dr. Alex Akanmu, Chairman of the University of Ilorin branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), has lamented the dire economic plight facing university lecturers, stating many have resorted to driving for Uber or begging to support their families.
In an interview with Leadership Sunday, Akanmu revealed that some lecturers have become outright beggars or borrowed heavily to survive, as their salaries have remained stagnant for 16 years and eroded by currency devaluation.
He described alarming conditions where academics live in hardship, sometimes sleeping in offices, abandoning cars, and using public transport or trekking to save costs.
Akanmu called on the federal government to urgently renegotiate the long-standing 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, address salary arrears and promotion delays, ensure sustainable university funding, uphold university autonomy, and mainstream the Earned Academic Allowance.
He stressed that previous negotiation efforts have been ignored, worsening the poverty of Nigerian academics compared to their global peers.
The union chairman highlighted a draft agreement focusing on a three-year funding plan of ₦1.5 trillion to provide teaching and research tools, which the government has yet to implement.
By Enoch Odesola | August 31, 2025
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