By Ayo Ayodele
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter, has raised the alarm over the resignation of more than 200 lecturers from the institution, citing poor working conditions and failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
The Chairman of ASUU-KASU, Dr Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed this on Monday in Kaduna at a press conference, where he issued a two-week ultimatum to the Kaduna State Government and the university authorities to address the union’s demands.
Abdullahi warned that failure to implement and domesticate the agreement within the stipulated period could trigger a total and indefinite strike at the university.
He said those who had left included professors and other experienced academics, many of whom had secured appointments at newly established universities within and outside Kaduna State.
According to him, poor remuneration and worsening welfare conditions have made KASU increasingly unattractive to academic staff.
He said the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, which took effect in January 2026, provides improved conditions of service for university lecturers, but implementation has yet to begin at KASU.
The ASUU chairman said the union had written several letters to the university management and governing council and had also notified the university’s Visitor, Governor Uba Sani.
He expressed concern that more than eight months after the agreement was signed, KASU had yet to commence implementation, even as several federal and state universities had begun doing so.
Abdullahi said some institutions had also announced plans to pay arrears owed their academic staff, adding that the delay had left KASU lecturers among the least-paid university workers in the country.
He warned that continued failure to implement the agreement would result in the accumulation of salary arrears from January 2026 and could further accelerate the exodus of experienced lecturers.
According to him, the loss of highly skilled academics could adversely affect teaching, research and the overall development of the university, while replacing such personnel would require considerable time and resources.
He said the ASUU-KASU congress met on August 12 and resolved to declare an industrial dispute over the matter, in line with a resolution reached by the union’s National Executive Council at its meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9.
Abdullahi explained that the two-week ultimatum was part of the union’s established procedure for resolving industrial disputes and was intended to give the authorities an opportunity to take concrete steps towards implementing the agreement.
He also listed several local issues affecting KASU academic staff, including university autonomy, excessive workload, promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance, wage awards and pension remittances.
He urged the Kaduna State Government and university authorities to urgently address the concerns to prevent industrial action and preserve stability at the institution.
The ASUU chairman also appealed to parents and other stakeholders to support efforts to resolve the dispute before the expiration of the ultimatum.
He, however, reaffirmed the union’s commitment to pursuing its demands through lawful and established channels.