UNILAG Loses 239 First-Class Graduate Lecturers in Seven Years Amid Poor Funding, Ogundipe Warns

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has lost no fewer than 239 first-class graduate lecturers within seven years, a trend attributed to poor remuneration, low motivation, and deteriorating working conditions. The revelation was made by the institution’s immediate past Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, while speaking as guest lecturer at The PUNCH Forum on Tuesday.

The event, themed “Innovative Funding of Functional Education in the Digital Age,” was held at The PUNCH Place, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and drew attention to the crisis facing Nigerian universities.

Ogundipe, now Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Osun State, disclosed that although UNILAG employed 256 first-class graduates as lecturers between 2015 and 2022, only 17 remained on staff as of October 2023.

“At UNILAG, we decided that those with first-class honours should be employed. What is remaining is not up to 10 per cent. All of them have gone,” he lamented.

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Statistics of an Exodus

Ogundipe provided a breakdown of the figures: 86 first-class graduates were recruited in 2015, 82 in 2016, and another 88 during his tenure between 2017 and 2022. However, by October 2023, nearly all had left.

He attributed this exodus to persistent underfunding of the education sector, harsh economic realities, and unattractive working conditions for young academics. “Many of our colleagues, especially the young ones, are tired,” he explained.

The former VC warned that, if the situation persists, Nigeria’s universities could face two consequences in the next decade: an overwhelming dominance of women in the teaching workforce, similar to what currently exists in secondary schools, and a decline in the quality of postgraduate candidates.

Chronic Underfunding and Its Consequences

Highlighting the broader structural challenges, Ogundipe lamented that both federal and state budgetary allocations to education have consistently fallen below 10 percent, well short of UNESCO’s recommended 15–26 percent benchmark.

“In the period from 2015 to 2025, Nigeria’s education sector has faced tremendous fiscal restraint. Federal budget allocations—even after headline increases in absolute naira terms—have consistently remained below 10 per cent, and most years hover between 4.5 and 7.5 per cent,” he noted.

According to him, this chronic underfunding has led to decayed infrastructure, outdated technology, overstretched facilities, and low morale among academics. He also stressed that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children globally, estimated at between 10 and 22 million, while more than 60 percent of primary education funding is consumed by salaries, leaving little for innovation or capital projects.

“By the time you get home, there is no light, and the Federal Government is saying they are giving us ₦10 million to access as loans. You can see how our lives have been devalued. Can I use ₦10 million to build a security post?” Ogundipe asked rhetorically.

Call for Innovative Funding

Ogundipe argued that addressing Nigeria’s education crisis requires innovative funding strategies that go beyond government allocations. He called on legislators to enact a law mandating that each first-generation university receive at least ₦1 billion annually to address infrastructure deficits.

Drawing from UNESCO’s framework, he emphasized mechanisms such as public-private partnerships, alumni endowments, philanthropy, education bonds, diaspora contributions, and education-focused corporate investments.

“Innovative mechanisms for education include shared risk/reward models for infrastructure, investors repaid only if outcomes are achieved, risk capital to support EdTech and innovative schools, leveraging the Nigerian diaspora for targeted investments, debt swaps for education, education technology grants, corporate donations, and capacity-building linked to business and reputation,” he said.

A Role for All Stakeholders

Ogundipe stressed that the future of Nigerian education rests on collaboration among government, private sector, alumni, civil society, and international agencies.

“The private sector should see education support not just as social responsibility but as enlightened self-interest in building the workforce, the talent, and the markets of tomorrow. Invest not only in infrastructure, but in people, curricula, and research that advance national development,” he urged.

He appealed to alumni, particularly those abroad, to support their alma maters through donations, mentorship, endowments, and advocacy. He also called on civil society and faith-based organisations to drive inclusion and grassroots educational transformation, while urging the media to place education funding at the heart of national discourse.

“To international and donor agencies, partner with us, but let us increasingly build our domestic resource mobilisation and institutional resilience. Above all, to every Nigerian, let us see education as the most sacred trust we must pass to our children. Our fingerprints, our footprints, our names should be found in the library buildings, the digital labs, the scholarships, and the lives changed,” Ogundipe concluded.

A Nation at Crossroads

Education analysts note that the statistics Ogundipe presented reflect a deeper crisis confronting Nigeria’s universities. As talented graduates continue to exit academia in pursuit of better-paying opportunities abroad, the country faces the twin dangers of a brain drain and a steady decline in educational standards.

With the academic sector weakened, there are fears that Nigeria’s human capital development, innovation, and competitiveness will suffer long-term setbacks. Stakeholders argue that unless urgent reforms are made, the education system may continue to haemorrhage its best talents, leaving behind institutions ill-prepared for the demands of the digital age.

The PUNCH Forum brought together key stakeholders in education and media. Members of PUNCH management present included Executive Director, Business Development and Innovation, Mrs. Valerie Omowunmi Tunde-Obe; Chairman, Editorial Board, Mr. Obafemi Obadare; General Manager, Production, Mr. Olayinka Popoola; and Manager, Advertisement, Mrs. Mary Ubani.

Others in attendance were the Editor, PUNCH Digital, Mr. Lekan Adetayo; Deputy Editor, The PUNCH, Mr. Tana Aiyejina; Associate Editor, News, Dr. Ramon Oladimeji; and Head of Training, PUNCH Media Foundation, Mr. Dele Aina.

For Ogundipe, the message was clear: Nigeria must urgently rethink education funding and retention strategies if it hopes to keep its brightest minds within the university system and build an academic environment fit for the 21st century.