Abia State University (ABSU) has suspended a Professor of Economics, Nnamdi Chinwendu Nwaeze, following his social media comments criticising the alleged poor welfare and remuneration of academic staff at the institution.

The university announced the suspension in a statement issued on Thursday by its Deputy Registrar and Public Relations Officer, Chijioke Nwogu.

According to the management, Nwaeze’s suspension followed “various social media posts attributed to Professor Nwaeze, which is inimical to the interests of the University and uncomplimentary to the Visitor of the University.”

The university said it had constituted an investigative panel to examine the matter, adding that the suspension would remain in force pending the outcome of the investigation.

The development came a day after Nwaeze took to social media to comment on the ongoing industrial action by the Abia State University branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU-ABSU).

In the post, the professor alleged that lecturers at ABSU were among the least-paid university academics in Nigeria, claiming that the institution was still operating under the 2009 ASUU/FG salary structure.

He further alleged that lecturers promoted between 2023 and 2026 had not received salaries corresponding to their new ranks, while some academic staff had allegedly gone as long as 44 months without receiving their salaries.

Nwaeze also claimed that salary arrears remained unpaid, deductions made for union dues were not remitted to ASUU, and that lecturers at the university had never received Earned Academic Allowances.

He additionally alleged that about N163 million in cooperative deductions was owed by the government.

Questioning the disparity between ABSU lecturers’ remuneration and that of professors in federal and other state universities, Nwaeze claimed that professors elsewhere earned between N1.3 million and N1.4 million monthly.

“Let me be blunt at this time. Did you know that most professors in ABSU earn less than N400k monthly?” he wrote.

The professor also compared the alleged income of ABSU professors with that of commercial tricycle operators, arguing that a Keke operator earning N15,000 daily could potentially make more than a university professor.

He claimed that more than 85 per cent of lecturers no longer drove their personal vehicles, alleging that academic staff were effectively subsidising the state government in the discharge of its responsibilities.

Nwaeze called on the Abia State Government to intervene and resolve the dispute with the university’s academic staff.

“All men of good conscience should plead with the Abia State government to pay ASUU-ABSU staff their due pay and end this strike within the shortest time,” he stated.

Reacting to his suspension on Thursday, Nwaeze appeared to acknowledge the university’s action while maintaining his stance.

“In life, somebody must pay the price for the liberation of others,” he wrote, adding, “Don’t sympathize with me; instead, direct your sympathy to the paymasters.”

The university has not disclosed the specific social media posts it considered inimical to its interests or uncomplimentary to the Visitor, beyond its reference to “various social media posts” attributed to the professor.

Meanwhile, ASUU-ABSU declared a “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike” on Wednesday over unresolved welfare-related demands.

The union’s decision followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the university authorities on July 22, 2026.

In its notice of industrial action addressed to the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council and routed through the Vice-Chancellor, the union said the strike was necessitated by the continued failure to address its members’ outstanding welfare demands.