Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the last general election, Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern over the exorbitant cost of governance in Nigeria, highlighting that an average PhD holder would have to save for years to afford the N160 million SUVs driven by lawmakers.
In a series of posts on X, Obi lamented that the reckless spending in the government is responsible for the decline in the standards of university education in Nigeria.
“A recent news story attributed to the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) regarding the decline in the standards of our university education has highlighted the significant challenges facing our education system,” Obi said.”
According to the Executive Secretary, the situation requires the production of more PhD holders to address these issues.
However, the Executive Secretary’s solution overlooks several obstacles, such as the unnecessarily prolonged time it takes to obtain a PhD in Nigeria and the frustrating disparity between wages and the level of academic attainment in the country.”
Obi noted that while a Grade 2 lecturer might earn just N150,000 per month, an average lawmaker takes home about N21 million monthly, revealing a stark disparity between the government’s prioritization of education and its own extravagant expenses.
“If fortunate, one might be employed as a Lecturer Grade 2 with a monthly salary of around N150,000, often paid irregularly, totaling N1.8 million annually,” Obi said.”
In stark contrast, our legislators, whose required educational qualification is merely a secondary school certificate receive a monthly salary of 21 million, which is more than 10 years salary of a PhD holder.
“Obi added that the disparity is the root of the problem, and that the government needs to prioritize investment in education as opposed to spending on its own expenses.”This disparity is the root of the problem.
Additionally, legislators are provided with SUVs worth N160 million from the public purse. For a PhD holder to afford such a vehicle, it would take over 85 years of saving every kobo earned,” he said.
“The solution lies in shifting our society from a consumption-driven mindset to a production-oriented approach, where hard work, innovation, and talent are valued and rewarded,” Obi added.
“By prioritizing investment in education and innovation, we can create a system that celebrates knowledge, expertise, and dedication, rather than political positions and influence.”
Obi emphasized that this transformation is essential to restoring Nigeria’s former prestige in global education rankings and elevating the quality of its higher education system.
“This transformation is essential to restoring Nigeria’s former prestige in global education rankings and elevating the quality of our higher education system,” he said.
