Former Governor of Anambra State and Labour Party Presidential Candidate in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has once again stirred national conversation with his latest remarks on Nigeria’s wage disparity. Speaking during a recent public engagement, Obi questioned the values of a society where professors earn a fraction of what politicians take home monthly, calling it “a systemic disincentive to professionalism.”
Obi highlighted a disturbing contrast: a professor in Nigeria earns around ₦400,000 monthly, while a member of the National Assembly pockets as much as ₦21 million in salary and allowances within the same period. “Why would I want to be a professor?” Obi asked pointedly. “Why would anyone work hard, acquire knowledge for years, and endure hardship to educate others, when the reward for that effort is less than what politicians earn doing far less?”
He added that such salary discrepancies are detrimental to national development, noting that corruption and misplaced priorities have crippled innovation, entrepreneurship, and patriotism. “Corruption kills entrepreneurship. Nobody thinks in a corrupt country,” Obi said. “Why would I suffer to build a business when I can make more money sitting in the legislature?”
The former governor stated that the rot within Nigeria’s wage structure goes beyond just figures. According to him, it reflects a deeper failure in value orientation. “Corruption kills professionalism,” he reiterated. “Professors are the backbone of national progress, and when they are neglected, what future are we building?”
Obi also criticized the federal government’s lopsided wage increases, alluding to the recent 300% salary hike for Supreme Court justices, while university workers remain underpaid and underappreciated. “Would you advise the president to do the same for our lecturers, our researchers?” he asked rhetorically. “Let’s dismantle this criminality and bring everyone to the table to honestly discuss the future of the country.”
Backing his points with personal experiences, Obi recalled how he was impeached just six months into his tenure as governor of Anambra State. He attributed this to his refusal to conform to the culture of waste and inflated budgets. “The budget to renovate my office was ₦298 million. I spent ₦42 million. That was my first offense,” he said.
Obi continued, “The governor’s lodge had a ₦486 million renovation budget. I spent ₦81 million and fixed everything. That was my second offense. The third was that I dared to save money and questioned the budget of the Office of the First Lady. I shut it down.”
In his characteristic candid style, Obi criticized the Office of the First Lady, calling it an unnecessary expenditure. “My wife didn’t campaign. She wasn’t voted for. Yet she had a full convoy and budget larger than some ministries. I said no.”
According to him, this abuse of public resources is not only unethical but contributes to the lack of trust in government. “Leadership should be about sacrifice, not privilege,” Obi stressed. “When those at the top enjoy lavish benefits while professors, doctors, and civil servants live in hardship, something is fundamentally wrong.”
Obi’s comments have reignited debates across the country, especially among academics and students. Many are now questioning why a professor who trains future doctors, engineers, and judges should earn 50 times less than a single lawmaker. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has long lamented similar concerns, citing poor remuneration as a key reason for brain drain in Nigerian universities.
Education analysts argue that if such wage imbalances are not addressed, Nigeria risks losing its brightest minds to countries that offer better conditions. “Professors should be national assets,” said Dr. Amina Suleiman, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University. “When you treat your best brains like trash, don’t expect development.”
As conversations about a new national minimum wage continue, Peter Obi’s remarks present a challenge to both the government and the people: to rethink what kind of society Nigeria wants to build. Will the country continue to reward privilege over professionalism, or will it begin to value and invest in knowledge, innovation, and integrity?
In a nation where education is touted as the key to success, Peter Obi’s hard-hitting question remains unanswered: “Why would I want to be a professor?”
