Abia State University (ABSU), Uturu, has suspended Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze of the Department of Economics over social media comments concerning the remuneration of lecturers at the institution.
The university announced the suspension in a statement issued on Thursday by its Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Nwogu.
The suspension followed a Facebook post by Mr Nwaeze in which he criticised the pay and working conditions of lecturers at ABSU and discussed the industrial action recently declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the institution.
The professor alleged that ABSU lecturers were among the least paid university academics in Nigeria and claimed that professors at the institution earned less than N400,000 per month.
He further claimed that commercial tricycle operators, popularly known as keke riders, could earn more than professors at the university, putting their monthly earnings at more than N450,000.
Nwaeze also alleged that ABSU lecturers were still being paid under the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government salary structure, despite newer salary agreements.
According to him, the 2024 salary structure had not been implemented at ABSU, while a structure approved in December 2025 and effective from January 2026 was also yet to be implemented.
He claimed that professors in federal and most state universities earned between N1.3 million and N1.4 million monthly, compared with what he described as significantly lower remuneration at ABSU.
The professor also raised concerns about allegedly unpaid salaries arising from promotions, outstanding salary arrears and other deductions involving university staff.
Why ABSU Suspended Him
ABSU said the suspension was based on concerns over the professor’s social media posts, which it described as damaging to the interests of the institution and uncomplimentary to the university’s visitor Governor Alex Otti
“The suspension takes immediate effect pending the outcome of the investigation by the panel,” Nwogu said in the statement.
The university has constituted an investigative panel to examine the matter and determine the appropriate action.
The university’s statement did not establish whether the claims made by Nwaeze were false or whether the disciplinary action was primarily based on the manner and platform through which the allegations were made.
