Education in Nigeria is under siege, not from lack of talent or ambition, but from the very system meant to nurture it. Teachers, who mold the minds of tomorrow’s leaders, engineers, doctors, and innovators, are paid wages so meager that they scarcely reflect the gravity of their contribution to society. While senators enjoy monthly allowances that exceed ₦21 million, a professor’s salary lingers below ₦600,000. This stark imbalance is more than an economic discrepancy; it is a moral indictment—a signal that the nation undervalues the very people responsible for shaping its future.
In February 2025, the controversy surrounding a student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, who physically assaulted a lecturer during a dispute over a TikTok video, further underscored this crisis. The incident, which led to the student’s expulsion, revealed a troubling reality: in today’s Nigeria, intellect and scholarship are often overshadowed by social clout and entertainment. The student’s viral fame became more significant than her academic journey—another stark reminder of how misplaced societal values have become.
The crisis of undervaluing education became even more glaring in July 2025, when Peller, a popular Nigerian TikToker, staged a social media spectacle offering a ₦500,000 monthly job to a camera holder—a position so basic that a Master’s degree was the only requirement. The absurdity was not in the remuneration, nor in the job itself, but in the message it sent: that highly educated Nigerians could be reduced to holding cameras for survival, while the country’s power brokers continue to amass wealth without contributing to intellectual growth. Twenty master’s degree holders competed for this trivial role—a scenario that has become emblematic of a wider problem: educational achievement in Nigeria is no longer synonymous with opportunity or dignity.
Yet, perhaps no story more poignantly illustrates the undervaluation of education than that of 17-year-old Nafisa Abdullahi from Yobe State, whose victory at the TeenEagle Global English Championship in London in August 2025 was rewarded with a mere ₦200,000. While athletes received ₦160 million for their achievements, Nafisa’s intellectual triumph was trivialized—a blatant display of misplaced national priorities. This is not just a personal slight; it is a reflection of a systemic failure that discourages children, dampens curiosity, and signals that brilliance is cheap in Nigeria.
Teachers are at the heart of this imbalance. They are the ones who taught the students who grow up to become influential politicians, successful entrepreneurs, and even social media stars. Yet, the government continues to pay them inadequately, hiding behind the old adage that teachers’ rewards are “in heaven.” This is neither acceptable nor sustainable. Teachers must be empowered to see tangible value in their work, through salaries that reflect their worth and incentives that recognize their contribution to the nation’s intellectual capital.
The government’s role is clear: it must revisit the take-home pay for teachers across all sectors—from primary to tertiary institutions—and ensure that education, the foundation of national progress, is respected. Equally, teachers themselves should explore creative avenues to supplement their income, turning their expertise into entrepreneurship and mentorship opportunities, and ensuring that their value transcends government-imposed limitations. In doing so, they not only uplift themselves but also set an example for the next generation, demonstrating that knowledge is powerful and worth investing in.
Nafisa’s story, Peller’s audacious camera-holder experiment, and the viral UNIZIK student scenario are more than isolated events—they are symptomatic of a nation that has yet to realize the true cost of neglecting education. The time to act is now. Teachers deserve recognition, students deserve encouragement, and Nigeria deserves a society where intellect and learning are celebrated, respected, and adequately rewarded. Anything less is a betrayal of the future.
Paul Adebanjo writes from Southwestern Nigeria
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