Professor Suspended After Saying Tricycle Riders Earn More Than Professors

A professor has been suspended after saying okada riders earn more than professors.

NewsRain Nigeria reports that the management of Abia State University, Uturu, has suspended Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, over comments he made on Facebook concerning the plight of lecturers at the institution.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer of the university, Chijioke Nwogu, on Thursday.

The statement partly read, “The suspension follows concerns arising from various social media posts attributed to Professor Nwaeze, which are inimical to the interests of the University and uncomplimentary to the Visitor of the University.”

Nwaeze had, on Wednesday, in a post on his Facebook account, alleged that members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at ABSU were among the least-paid university lecturers in Nigeria.

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He said lecturers at the university were still being paid under the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government salary structure, while being taxed based on the 2024 tax rate.

He also alleged that a 2024 ASUU-FG salary structure had not been implemented at ABSU and that another salary structure approved in December 2025 and effective from January 1, 2026, was yet to be implemented at the university.

Nwaeze further alleged that lecturers promoted between 2023 and 2026 had not been paid salaries corresponding to their new ranks, while some members had outstanding salaries dating back as far as 44 months.

He also claimed that deducted union dues were not being remitted to ASUU and that lecturers at ABSU had never received Earned Academic Allowances.

According to him, about N163m in cooperative deductions was allegedly being owed by the government, while professors in federal and most state universities earned between N1.3m and N1.4m, compared with what he described as significantly lower earnings at ABSU.

He further queried the disparity in the earnings of professors at the institution, asking, “Did you know that most professors in ABSU earn less than N400k monthly?

At this salary scale, a Keke driver who earns a daily net income of just N15k (many earn N20k & above daily) would earn more than a professor in ABSU (N15k x 30 = N450k per month)?”

Nwaeze also alleged that more than 85 per cent of lecturers no longer drove their cars and that staff members were relying on personal savings, borrowing, rental income and royalties from intellectual property to subsidise their work.

He stated, “Hence, rather than receive a subsidy from the government, staff are the ones subsidising the state government.”

However, the university management said it had constituted an investigative panel to examine the matter.

“Consequently, Management has constituted an Investigative Panel to consider the matter.

The suspension takes immediate effect pending the outcome of the investigation by the Panel,” the statement added.