Nigerian universities are failing because the country has stopped thinking, By Mohammed Dahiru Aminu

…at the root of all this is the need for a broader national rethinking. We must stop pretending that excellence can emerge from systems that do not reward it. We must stop believing that social services can be provided in a country where few people work and fewer pay taxes. We must understand that the dignity of work is linked to the strength of institutions and that the fate of our professionals reflects the values we hold as a nation.

Not long ago, the social media in Nigeria was filled with appeals to crowdfund for the medical care of a professor in a public university. The professor eventually passed on. The situation was heartbreaking because of both the loss of a human life and the deeper institutional failure that it symbolises. In any well-functioning society, people should not have to beg for health care and certainly not for those who have dedicated their lives to educating others. And even more recently, another incident circulated online, showing a professor in a public university selling tomatoes and other vegetables in a local market. There is nothing dishonourable about trade or farming, but the issue raised eyebrows because it underlined the economic realities confronting many of Nigeria’s intellectuals. These are not isolated stories. They reflect the weak and unsustainable structure of our universities and broader public service systems.

In developed countries, systems exist to ensure that essential services, such as healthcare, are accessible by everyone, especially those who have spent their lives working for the public good. Professors, doctors, engineers, teachers and other professionals are not expected to fund their critical healthcare needs out of pocket. Instead, the state should provide a safety net, often through universal healthcare or highly subsidised systems. And, this is possible because the economies of these countries are largely productive. People work, pay taxes and contribute to a system that, in turn, protects them when they are vulnerable. This is a lesson Nigeria is yet to adopt.

Universal social services are not simply the result of good intentions but the outcomes of a society where productivity is high and where there is a collective understanding that everyone must contribute in order for everyone to be protected. The funding that supports healthcare, pensions, infrastructure and other social goods originates from taxes paid by a working and contributing population. It is through this cycle of contribution and support that societies are able to protect the weak and reward the strong. At the same time, the relationship is circular. A society that fails to provide services such as health, education and security cannot build or sustain a productive population. Illness, insecurity and poor education systems undermine people’s ability to work and contribute meaningfully. Productivity and social services are, therefore, mutually reinforcing. One cannot exist meaningfully without the other.

The Nigerian university system is also largely divorced from these global standards. Academic staff are treated uniformly based on their ranks, regardless of their discipline, productivity or the economic value of their work. A professor of Petroleum Engineering with international publications and ongoing consultancy work is treated the same as a lecturer in a discipline with little academic output or demand. This one-size-fits-all approach is outdated and deeply demoralising.

Unfortunately, in Nigeria, many of our institutions are underperforming such that the productivity of society is actively being eroded. Nowhere is this more evident than in the public university system. Therefore, when we speak about improving the lives of professionals like professors, we must also speak about making their institutions competitive and aligned with global best practices. Universities are meant to be engines of knowledge, innovation and economic development. In many countries, universities drive research that leads to patents, industrial growth and national competitiveness. They attract students from around the world and generate income through grants, partnerships and commercial activities. Professors in such environments are deeply engaged in research, teaching and advisory roles that leave little room for secondary livelihoods like selling produce in local markets. Their time is absorbed by their core responsibilities and they are well-compensated for their contributions.

The Nigerian university system is also largely divorced from these global standards. Academic staff are treated uniformly based on their ranks, regardless of their discipline, productivity or the economic value of their work. A professor of Petroleum Engineering with international publications and ongoing consultancy work is treated the same as a lecturer in a discipline with little academic output or demand. This one-size-fits-all approach is outdated and deeply demoralising. This uniformity in treatment runs counter to how value is determined in other sectors and even within the university admission process itself.

For example, it is well known that gaining admission into certain departments, such as Medicine or Engineering, requires higher scores and more rigorous selection processes. This is an acknowledgment of the relative value and demand of different disciplines. But once students graduate and transition into academic careers, that logic disappears. Everyone is placed on the same salary structure, regardless of their department, research output or teaching effectiveness. This inconsistency discourages excellence. It rewards mediocrity and punishes innovation. It sends a message to the most capable minds that they should either lower their expectations or leave the country. And many do. Nigeria loses countless brilliant academics every year to institutions abroad that recognise and reward talent appropriately.

If we are serious about reforming the university system, we must be willing to challenge this deeply ingrained culture of uniformity and entitlement. We must introduce performance-based incentives and create clear consequences for underperformance. Funding models must be restructured to reward research, innovation and institutional productivity. Departments that bring in grants, publish quality research and have real-world impact should be empowered and better supported.

If we are serious about reforming the university system, we must be willing to challenge this deeply ingrained culture of uniformity and entitlement. We must introduce performance-based incentives and create clear consequences for underperformance. Funding models must be restructured to reward research, innovation and institutional productivity. Departments that bring in grants, publish quality research and have real-world impact should be empowered and better supported. These changes will improve the welfare of academic staff, enhance the quality of education and research, attract better students, and contribute to national development. More importantly, they will reduce the indignities that drive professors to seek alternative sources of income and die avoidable deaths due to lack of access to healthcare.

Join the Premium Times WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.

Open in WhatsApp

But at the root of all this is the need for a broader national rethinking. We must stop pretending that excellence can emerge from systems that do not reward it. We must stop believing that social services can be provided in a country where few people work and fewer pay taxes. We must understand that the dignity of work is linked to the strength of institutions and that the fate of our professionals reflects the values we hold as a nation. The countries that protect their professors, doctors and engineers do so not out of sentiment, but because they recognise these people as critical pillars of national progress. Until we embrace that same logic, we will continue to mourn the deaths of people who ought to still be alive and normalise the humiliation of people who should be celebrated.

Mohammed Dahiru Aminu ([email protected]) wrote from Abuja, Nigeria.