An Open Letter to Nigerian Policymakers and Stakeholders: Save the Soul of Nigeria’s Education System
To:
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
The National Assembly,
The Minister of Education,
The Minister of Finance,
The Minister of Labour and Employment,
Governors of the 36 States of Nigeria,
Traditional and Religious Leaders,
The Media, Civil Society Organizations,
And All Stakeholders in the Nigerian Project.
Date: August 5, 2025
The Cry of the Nigerian Lecturer: A Call for Urgent Rescue of Nigeria’s Dying Education System
Dear Esteemed Leaders and Stakeholders,
I greet you with hope and concern from the heart of Nigeria’s ivory towers. I write this letter, not in anger but with deep pain and sincere love for our dear country. I write not just for myself, but for thousands of university lecturers across Nigeria, who have been pushed to the wall by hardship, poverty, and neglect. It is now time for us to speak out, loud and clear, before it is too late.
1. Transportation Crisis: Professors Now Beg for Rides
Many Nigerian lecturers, including professors with over 30 years of experience, can no longer afford to drive their personal cars to work. This is not because they don’t have cars, but because they cannot buy fuel or repair their vehicles. Many of us now queue to join commercial tricycles (Keke Napep), bikes, or even trek long distances to the classroom. This is a shame.
Worse still, some lecturers have lost their lives in accidents while trying to find their way to work in these unsafe and overcrowded means of transport. When the brain of the nation cannot afford to get to the classroom safely, we are heading for disaster.
2. Healthcare Nightmare: NHIS Is Failing
Our hospitals are in a mess. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which is supposed to help lecturers and civil servants, is not working properly. Many important drugs and treatments are either not covered or not available in approved hospitals. Lecturers now pay out of pocket for every sickness — not just for themselves but also for their wives (or husbands), children, aged parents, and other dependents.
Some lecturers now rely on herbal mixtures and prayers because they cannot afford to visit a doctor. How can a sick lecturer give his best in class? How can he do research, attend conferences, and teach future doctors and engineers if he is struggling with diabetes or high blood pressure with no access to care?
3. Basic Needs: Hunger, Homelessness, and Humiliation
What does it take to live a decent life? A safe house, healthy food, decent clothes. Today, a Nigerian lecturer can hardly afford any of these. House rents are going up every year, while our salaries remain the same. Food prices have tripled. A bag of rice that used to be ₦20,000 is now over ₦80,000.
Lecturers are expected to look smart and dress well. After all, we are the ones shaping the minds of future presidents, doctors, lawyers, and leaders. But now, even buying a decent shirt or pair of shoes has become a struggle. Some of us are mocked by our own students for how we look. It is not pride — it is poverty.
4. Mockery in the Society: From Respect to Ridicule
There was a time when lecturers were respected in the society. We were seen as role models — the voice of wisdom and learning. But today, we are mocked and pitied. Our neighbours wonder why we still remain in the job. People ask: “Why are you still suffering when your mates are driving big cars and living large?”
Even the media rarely celebrates intellectual achievements. Footballers, singers, and reality show stars are given awards, national honours, and fat cheques. Meanwhile, the lecturer who taught the engineer building our bridges, or the doctor treating our diseases, is ignored, unpaid, and disrespected.
5. Lack of Research Funding: Killing the Future
Our young lecturers, especially those studying for their master’s and Ph.D. degrees in the sciences, are suffering silently. They are expected to carry out ground-breaking research that will move Nigeria forward. But there is no money, no lab materials, no government support.
Many are now taking loans to buy chemicals, software, and equipment just to complete their degrees. Some have dropped out or abandoned their studies. This is ridiculous and heart-breaking. How can Nigeria grow if we kill the future scientists and thinkers before they even start?
6. Education Is Becoming a Luxury
Can you imagine that a university lecturer cannot afford to pay school fees for his own children — not even in public secondary schools or universities? A profession that once gave stability and pride has become a trap of suffering.
How can a man or woman who teaches thousands of Nigerian youths fail to educate his or her own child? This is a tragedy. If we can no longer care for the ones who care for our children, then we are destroying the very foundation of our nation.
7. Misplaced Priorities: Nigeria’s Tragic Choices
Our government has shown time and again that education is not a priority. While lecturers are on strike and universities are falling apart, billions are spent on things that bring no lasting value:
Musicians are given multi-million-naira gifts.
Footballers are rewarded with houses and cars.
Politicians earn millions every month and travel abroad for medical checkups and education for their children.
Yet, the ones building the minds of the next generation are being punished with poverty and silence. This is not just unfair — it is dangerous.
8. Negative Consequences of Ignoring Education
Let us not pretend. The consequences of all these problems are already here, and more are coming if we do not act now.
a. Brain Drain
Our brightest lecturers and researchers are leaving the country. They are being hired by universities abroad, where they are paid well and respected. We are losing the best minds to Europe, America, Canada, and even African countries like Rwanda and South Africa.
b. No More Role Models
Young intellectuals no longer want to become lecturers. Why suffer for nothing? Many brilliant students are choosing other careers in banks, oil companies, or abroad. Who will teach the next generation?
c. Decay of University Education
With no research, no motivation, and no tools, the quality of education is going down. Students graduate without skills. Some cannot write simple sentences or solve basic problems. This is because the system is collapsing.
d. National Decline
Without education, a country cannot grow. There will be more crime, more unemployment, and more hopelessness. We are already seeing it — kidnapping, drug abuse, fraud, cultism, and insecurity are on the rise.
9. What Must Be Done: Solutions and Way Forward
We are not just complaining. We are offering solutions. This is what needs to happen immediately:
a. Increase Lecturers’ Salaries
Review and increase the salary of lecturers to reflect current economic realities. Let lecturers be able to live decent lives and take care of their families.
b. Fix the NHIS Scheme
Let the health insurance scheme cover all necessary treatments and drugs. Let it work in both private and public hospitals that meet standard.
c. Provide Affordable Housing and Transport Support
Offer housing loans or schemes to lecturers. Also, consider transport allowances or university shuttle buses for staff.
d. Fund Research and Training
Every university should have a research fund. Lecturers doing postgraduate studies should get scholarships, grants, or allowances.
e. Pay School Fees Support for Staff
Lecturers should be able to send their children to school without shame. Give them support or allow education tax credits for their wards.
f. Celebrate Academic Excellence
Honor lecturers with national awards. Celebrate great researchers, inventors, and teachers the same way we celebrate entertainers and athletes.
g. Treat Education as National Security
Education should be declared a national emergency. If we lose our schools, we lose our country.
10. Final Word: Save Nigeria by Saving Education
Dear leaders, this is not just a letter. It is a cry from the heart of a dying system. The university is bleeding. Lecturers are losing hope. The future of Nigeria is at stake.
Do not wait until it is too late. Act now. Revive our education system. Pay attention to our cries. Let Nigeria rise again, not through oil or politics, but through the power of knowledge.
Education is the bedrock of every great nation. Let us build ours today.
Yours in patriotic service,
[Isah, Abubakar]
A Concerned and Patriotic Nigerian University Lecturer
