Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has described the alleged ₦21 million monthly salary of senators as one of the factors inhibiting the country’s growth.
Peter Obi decried that while it would take a PhD holder about 10 years to earn ₦21 million, a senator who may probably have just a Secondary School Certificate earns the amount monthly.
Obi noted that the gap the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Mr. Chris Maiyaki, emphasized needs to be closed by having more PhD holders, as a means to solve the country’s challenges, may not be realized in a country that does not reward hard work.
On Friday, in a statement, Obi said, “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.
“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.
“Though deeply troubling, I wonder how he expects an increase in PhD holders when it takes a minimum of 10 years of dedicated study after secondary school to earn a PhD.
“If fortunate, one might be employed as a Lecturer Grade 2 with a monthly salary of around ₦150,000, often paid irregularly, totaling N1,800,000 annually.
“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.
“This disparity is the root of the problem. Additionally, legislators are provided with SUVs worth ₦160 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.”
The former governor of Anambra State explained that the country has to move away from consumption to production by investing in education and innovation.
He added that a system that celebrates knowledge and expertise rather than political positions is what is needed to restore the country’s former prestige.
“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.
“By prioritizing investment in education and innovation, we can create a system that celebrates knowledge, expertise, and dedication, rather than political positions and influence.
“This transformation is essential to restoring Nigeria’s former prestige in global education rankings and elevating the quality of our higher education system,” Obi added.
