University Brain Drain hits UNILAG as 239 top graduates leave due to poor pay and underfunding, highlighting deep cracks in Nigeria’s higher education system

University Brain Drain is rapidly eroding Nigeria’s higher education sector, with the University of Lagos (UNILAG) emerging as a stark example.

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Between 2015 and 2022, the institution retained 256 first-class graduates as lecturers — but by October 2023, only 17 remained.

This shocking revelation came from Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, who delivered a powerful address at The PUNCH Forum, themed “Innovative Funding of Functional Education in the Digital Age.”

“What’s remaining is not up to 10%. They have gone,” Ogundipe lamented. “By 2035, most universities may be dominated by women alone if nothing changes.”

The root cause of this brain drain, Ogundipe explained, lies in poor remuneration, lack of research support, and an uninspiring work environment.

He criticized the government’s neglect of education, particularly its failure to meet the UNESCO recommendation of allocating 15–26% of the national budget to education.

Nigeria’s education budget consistently falls below 10%, often hovering between 4.5% and 7.5%.

This chronic underfunding, Ogundipe warned, is leading to declining infrastructure, mass emigration of young academics, and the admission of poorly prepared candidates into postgraduate programs.

Calling for innovative funding, Ogundipe advocated for public-private partnerships, alumni endowments, and donor-supported education bonds.

He urged the private sector to treat education support not just as charity, but as an investment in future talent.

“To alumni: the institutions that made you now need you,” Ogundipe emphasized. “Mentor, donate, and advocate.”

Ogundipe, now Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, emphasized the importance of domestic resource mobilisation and called on legislators to enact laws mandating a minimum of ₦1 billion annual funding for first-generation universities.

He concluded with a passionate call to action:

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“To every Nigerian — let our fingerprints be found in libraries, our footprints in labs, and our names in scholarships. Education is our most sacred national trust”