A growing wave of discontent is spreading across federal universities in Nigeria as academic staff voice concerns over plummeting morale, deteriorating working conditions, and unresolved systemic challenges in the nation’s higher education sector.
Interviews with lecturers and senior academic personnel across multiple institutions reveal a troubling pattern: delayed salaries, underfunded research programs, excessive workloads, and an eroding sense of professional dignity. Many say they feel overburdened and undervalued.
“Our working environment has become demoralizing,” said Dr. Uche Nwafor, a senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. “You can’t teach or conduct research effectively when you’re worried about how to pay your bills. There’s no motivation left.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which has staged multiple strikes in recent years, attributes much of the low morale to what it describes as the federal government’s “chronic neglect” of public tertiary education.
In a statement released last week, ASUU lamented that promises made during past negotiations have either been only partially fulfilled or completely ignored, including salary adjustments, earned academic allowances, and improved university infrastructure.
“The current climate is not just affecting teaching it’s discouraging new talent from joining the academic workforce,” said Prof. Fatima Musa of Ahmadu Bello University. “Young graduates are opting for private sector jobs or leaving the country altogether.”
Many universities continue to rely on outdated facilities, with some lecturers forced to use personal funds to support departmental needs or travel for research. Meanwhile, inflation and rising living costs have compounded frustrations, particularly in urban university towns.
The Federal Ministry of Education has yet to issue a formal response to the mounting concerns, although insiders claim that ongoing budgetary constraints are hampering government capacity to meet all of ASUU’s demands.
Analysts warn that unless the morale crisis is addressed urgently, the quality of public university education may face long-term decline, with ripple effects on Nigeria’s innovation capacity and global academic standing.
“This is no longer just about staff welfare it’s about the survival of the public university system,” said Dr. Musa. “If nothing is done, we may lose a generation of educators and researchers.”
source: guardian.ng
