Keke rider earning more than professor? Let me weigh this carefully

I saw the story about the ABSU lecturer who got suspended for saying keke riders earn more than professors. From where I sit in Abuja, that statement is not exactly news. It is the reality of a system where we reward the hustle but starve the intellect.

I work in HR for a government parastatal. I see the salary structure every month. A professor starts at around ₦250,000, but a keke rider in a busy route can clear ₦300,000 if he works hard. The difference is that the rider pays no tax, has no boss, and controls his time. The professor has spent 10 years in school, published papers, and still waits for promotion that may never come.

People are angry at the lecturer for saying the quiet part out loud. But the real problem is not his mouth. It is the policy that makes this true. We cannot keep telling our children to go to school when the school does not pay. My honest counsel is that we should fix the system, not silence the messenger. What do you think?