ABSU Lecturer Suspended Over Demand For Improved Staff Welfare

Abia State University, Uturu, ABSU, has suspended Professor Nnamdi Chinwendu Nwaeze of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, over social media posts criticizing the alleged poor welfare and remuneration of academic staff.

The suspension was announced in a statement issued on Thursday, August 13, 2026, by the university’s Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Nwogu.

According to the management, the action followed “various social media posts attributed to Professor Nwaeze, which is inimical to the interests of the University and uncomplimentary to the Visitor of the University.”

The university said it has constituted an Investigative Panel to consider the matter, and that the suspension takes immediate effect pending the outcome of the investigation.

The suspension came a day after Nwaeze, on Wednesday, August 12, 2026*, commented on the ongoing ASUU-ABSU “total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike.”

In his post, Nwaeze alleged that ASUU-ABSU members are among the least-paid university lecturers in Nigeria and are still being paid under the 2009 ASUU/FG Salary Structure.

He claimed:
1. Lecturers promoted between 2023 and 2026 have not received salaries reflecting their new ranks
2. Some union members have gone up to 44 months without salaries
3. Arrears are not being paid and union dues deducted by government are not being remitted to ASUU
4. Earned Academic Allowances have never been paid in the history of ABSU
5. About N163 million in cooperative deductions is owed by the government

Nwaeze also questioned the pay disparity, alleging that while professors in other federal and state universities earn between N1.3 million and N1.4 million monthly, “most professors in ABSU earn less than N400k monthly.”

He further compared ABSU professors’ earnings to those of commercial tricycle operators, saying a Keke driver earning N15,000 daily could earn more than an ABSU professor. He alleged that over 85% of lecturers no longer drive their cars and that staff are “subsidizing the state government to perform their duties.”

“All men of good conscience should plead with the Abia State government to pay ASUU-ABSU staff their due pay and end this strike within the shortest time,” he appealed.

Following the announcement, Nwaeze posted again on social media, appearing to acknowledge the development.

“In life, somebody must pay the price for the liberation of others,” he wrote. “Don’t sympathize with me; instead, direct your sympathy to the paymasters.”

The university did not specify which of the posts it considered “inimical” or “uncomplimentary to the Visitor.”

ASUU-ABSU is currently on strike over the same welfare issues raised by the suspended professor.