In recent times, a lot has been written about the infrastructural decay, insecurity, poorly funded institutions, and brain drain in Nigerian universities. However, one major issue that hardly gains traction in the headlines, which deeply creates emotional damage, is the incessant workplace abuse within Nigerian universities. This silent but toxic phenomenon is not just repelling talented individuals; it is systematically incapacitating the foundation of our academic institutions.
In academia, workplace abuse can take many forms, like bullying, gaslighting, intellectual sabotage such as undermining or obstructing intellectual progress, sexual harassment, denial of promotions or leadership positions, exclusion from academic opportunities to attend postdoc fellowships abroad, and other subtle forms of discrimination, specifically against women, junior lecturers, and academics who openly speak their minds. Despite this, it is evident that Nigerian academic institutions are commonly hierarchical and politicised, where such abuse is seen as a norm, ignored, or justified in the name of coercing the staff to be submissive, “disciplining” and calling it part of the “academic culture”. Senior academic colleagues, like professors, who are supposed to speak up about these abuses, become complicit because they don’t care or don’t want to get involved. But let us not be fooled; the cost of oppressing and intimidating staff is very high, and it’s time we start addressing it.
A climate of fear and silence
Unlike in the private sector, where the structures of human resources may offer some protection, the opposite is true for Nigerian academic institutions. Junior academics and administrative staff are always advised to “endure” or “keep quiet” or just exhibit the behaviour of “Classic Eye Service” if they want to survive the system. Those who speak out are viewed as troublesome, rebellious, or “ungrateful”.
In this culture of silence, the behaviour of bullying increases. In most situations, toxic supervisors delay the theses of postgraduate students who do not submit to them or pay them personally for supervisor’s fees. Female lecturers encounter subtle or overt sexual harassment. Promising scholars are excluded from heading leadership positions or denied opportunities to travel out of the country for academic fellowships or conferences because they are perceived as threats to insecure seniors.
The academic brain drain
An increasing number of Nigerian academics, especially young, promising ones, are leaving for better prospects abroad. While it is true that poor funding may be a major reason, many of them are quietly admitting that they are fleeing an abusive environment and not just poverty.
They want academic freedom, institutional respect, and dignity, which are the values that are in short supply in many public universities in Nigeria. Now the irony of that leads to us losing our best brains not just to global demand but to our very own toxic internal practices.
Declining innovation and research productivity
Workplace abuse does not just affect the individuals; it poisons the whole department at the university. When fear reigns, collaboration is destroyed. People no longer share their ideas or feedback. Academics start avoiding combined projects, refusing to peer-review their colleagues’ work, and even begin to hoard intellectual information. Innovative research stifles, and the whole academic ecosystem becomes stagnant.
Moreover, abused staff become disengaged emotionally, which leads to poor classroom teaching. Some even neglect students and cause a decline in academic output. While others may resort to doing the bare minimum to stay out of trouble. Even the abused grows to become the abuser. This kind of intellectual withdrawal is a silent killer in many academic institutions within Nigeria, although primarily meant to be knowledge powerhouses.
An institutional image problem
Universities are supposed to be centres of excellence, areas where there is inclusion and ethical leadership. But when cases of abuse, oppression, or academic victimisation leak into the public domain, it creates severe damage to the institutional reputation. Talented students and scholars start looking somewhere else.
Any Nigerian universities that want to be globally competitive must learn to expunge toxic departmental cultures that go unchecked. Academic staff fail to understand that abuse has its consequences, not just for individuals, but for the brand, image, prestige, and sustainability of the institution itself.
What is the way forward: Ethical leadership and policy reform
We need urgent, institution-wide reforms in confronting this crisis head-on. Here are some key steps to take:
Every university should establish independent ombuds offices to investigate allegations of abuse fairly and without bias.
The university system should learn to protect whistleblowers and victims of abuse from retaliation.
The university should lay out consequences for proven cases of harassment, bullying, or sabotage, no matter the rank of the abuser.
Universities should train leaders and heads of departments and faculties on ethical leadership, emotional intelligence, and inclusive management.
The university system should build great supportive systems like mental health units or peer support programmes for staff and students who are affected.
Conclusion: Abuse is seen as an academic crisis.
If Nigerian universities are to fulfil their mandate as centres of knowledge, justice, and innovation, they must address the culture of abuse that is smothering talents and demoralising scholars. This is just an issue for human resources to tackle. It is a strategic crisis that is threatening the future of higher education in Nigeria.
Until Nigerian universities can address the silent epidemic of workplace abuse, they will continue losing their brightest minds, not just to foreign or international institutions, but to fear, silence, and burnout. Healing our academic spaces starts with accountability, ethical leadership, and building the courage to create environments where dignity, innovation, and justice can truly thrive.
Dr Joy Eghonghon Akahome is a dedicated academic in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Marketing at the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. With over a decade of teaching and research experience, she also mentors international students at the University of Vizja in Warsaw, Poland. Dr. Akahome actively contributes to academic discussions, policy development, and mentoring, fostering resilient and innovative business practices in Nigeria and beyond.
