ABSU Suspends Professor Over Social Media Claims on Lecturers’ Salaries

The management of Abia State University (ABSU) has suspended a lecturer in the Department of Economics, Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze, following social media posts in which he raised concerns over the salaries and working conditions of academic staff at the institution.

The university announced the suspension with immediate effect in a statement issued on Thursday by its Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Nwogu.

According to the university, the decision followed concerns over several social media posts attributed to Nwaeze, which management said were “inimical to the interests of the University and uncomplimentary to the Visitor of the University.”

The university has also constituted an investigative panel to examine the issues raised by the lecturer. His suspension will remain in effect pending the outcome of the investigation.

Nwaeze had made several claims about the financial situation of lecturers at ABSU in a Facebook post published on Wednesday. He alleged that academic staff at the university were among the lowest-paid university lecturers in Nigeria and questioned the institution’s implementation of various salary agreements reached between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government.

According to the professor, lecturers at ABSU were still being paid under the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government salary structure while being subjected to tax rates based on the 2024 tax regime.

He further alleged that a salary structure agreed between ASUU and the Federal Government in 2024 had not been implemented at the university. He also claimed that another salary structure approved in December 2025 and scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026, was yet to be implemented.

Nwaeze also raised concerns over the salaries of lecturers who had been promoted between 2023 and 2026, alleging that some had not received pay corresponding to their new academic ranks.

He claimed that some members of staff were owed outstanding salaries dating back as far as 44 months.

The lecturer also alleged that union dues deducted from staff salaries were not being remitted to ASUU and that academic staff at ABSU had never received Earned Academic Allowances.

Another concern raised in his post was an alleged N163 million debt relating to cooperative deductions.

Comparing the salaries of ABSU professors with those in federal and other state universities, Nwaeze claimed that professors elsewhere earned between N1.3 million and N1.4 million monthly, while some professors at ABSU earned less than N400,000.

He used the alleged salary disparity to question the financial realities faced by senior academics at the institution, comparing their monthly earnings with the potential income of commercial tricycle operators.

Nwaeze further claimed that the financial situation had affected the lifestyles of many lecturers, alleging that more than 85 per cent of academic staff no longer drove their personal vehicles.

He said some staff members were increasingly relying on personal savings, borrowing, rental income and royalties from intellectual property to support their professional responsibilities.

The lecturer argued that, rather than receiving adequate financial support from government, academic staff were effectively subsidising the state government through their personal resources.

ABSU management, however, did not address the individual salary and financial allegations in its suspension statement. Instead, it said an investigative panel had been established to examine the matter and determine the appropriate course of action.

The university’s decision has placed the allegations under formal investigation, with the outcome of the panel expected to determine the next steps concerning Nwaeze’s suspension and the issues raised in his social media posts.

The development also highlights broader concerns surrounding university funding, staff welfare and the implementation of negotiated salary structures in Nigeria’s higher education sector.