The quality of education students receive in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions is once again under scrutiny as universities nationwide launch mass recruitment drives to fill critical staffing gaps. The shortage, long exacerbated by brain drain, retirement, and federal hiring freeze, has left institutions struggling to deliver on their core mandate of teaching and research.
Leading federal universities, including the University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Ibadan have rolled out advertisements seeking both academic and non-teaching staff ahead of the new academic session. Similar notices are circulating across all six geopolitical zones, signaling a nationwide scramble to replace staff lost to migration, retirement, or death.
According to a recent report by Punch, Nigerian universities have been hit hard by the “japa” wave mass migration of skilled professionals to countries offering better pay and working conditions. The education sector has been among the worst affected, with academics and support staff exiting in droves.
The problem was compounded by a ban on recruitment in tertiary institutions imposed by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. That embargo, lifted only recently, left classrooms and offices understaffed for years.
Professor Victor Osodeke, immediate past president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), said the embargo “overworked lecturers and crippled effective teaching.” Similarly, Professor Ikechukwu Onyishi of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, noted that “many lecturers have retired, some died in active service, while others resigned to take up better-paying jobs abroad. The result is an overstretched workforce and declining quality of education.”
Education rights activist Ayodamola Oluwatoyin, who leads Reform Education Nigeria, welcomed the recruitment exercise but urged universities to ensure transparency. “This is an opportunity to reduce the burden on lecturers. However, the recruitment process must be fair, open, and provide opportunities for young academics,” he said.
The Federal Ministry of Education has pledged to monitor the process closely. Its spokesperson, Folashade Boriowo, told Punch that the ministry “will ensure transparency and fairness in all recruitments.”
While the recruitment drive offers a glimmer of hope, experts warn that unless Nigeria addresses the root causes of brain drain, poor pay, inadequate research facilities, and weak funding among others. The cycle will persist. “If the best hands leave, universities will be left with average or underqualified staff. This undermines accreditation, produces low-quality graduates, and weakens national development,” an analyst noted.
Brain drain is not unique to Nigeria. According to data from the International Organization for Migration, more than 3,000 highly trained Kenyans leave the country annually. In Ethiopia, professionals migrate in large numbers to Gulf states, while studies show that between 70% and 90% of Zimbabwe’s university graduates now work abroad. Historical data indicates Nigeria has been particularly hard hit: between 1986 and 1990, more than 30,000 tertiary education professionals left the country, while by 2007 over 10,000 Nigerian academics were working in the United States. A 1998 report even ranked Nigerians as the most educated immigrant group in the U.S.
With the new recruitment drive, universities hope to replenish their workforce. But observers stress that without a long-term strategy that combines competitive pay, improved working conditions, and investment in research, Nigeria risks remaining trapped in a cycle of talent exodus and declining education standards.
Manpower in the right quantity and quality is a sine qua non for national development. If we continue to lose our brightest minds, the consequences will not only be felt in our universities, but in the nation’s economy and future workforce.
