More than 200 professors and other academic staff have left Kaduna State University over poor conditions of service and the failure of the institution to implement the 2025 Federal Government–Academic Staff Union of Universities agreement, the KASU chapter of ASUU has said.
The union also issued a two-week ultimatum to the university management and other relevant authorities to commence the full implementation and domestication of the agreement or face a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike.
The ASUU-KASU Chairman, Comrade Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed this on Monday at a press conference held at the union’s secretariat at Kaduna State University, Kaduna.
Abdullahi said the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement, which provides for improved conditions of service for academic staff in Nigerian universities, took effect in January 2026 but had yet to be implemented at KASU.
He said, “More than eight months after the agreement was signed, KASU is yet to commence its implementation, while almost all federal universities and several state universities have either implemented the agreement or announced timelines for its implementation, including the payment of accrued arrears.”
According to him, the delay has made KASU academic staff among the least-paid university workers in the country, despite the institution’s previous reputation for prioritising staff welfare.
Abdullahi warned that the continued delay would not only worsen the welfare crisis but also lead to the accumulation of salary arrears dating back to January 2026.
He said the poor conditions of service had already triggered an exodus of experienced academic staff, including professors, warning that the university could suffer long-term consequences from the development.
“The departure of experienced academic staff, including professors and other lecturers, is a serious concern. Losing such personnel could take years for the university to recover from,” he said.
According to him, the failure to implement the agreement had worsened the welfare of academic staff and contributed to the loss of experienced personnel.
Abdullahi said, “At a rate that we are losing more than 200 professors at a time, professors and others alike. It’s frightening. No system survives this kind of haemorrhage of experienced manpower.”
He further warned that the continued departure of experienced academics could have serious consequences for the university’s academic programmes and reputation.
“The loss of these professors and other experienced academic staff is not something that the university can easily recover from. When you lose experienced scholars, you cannot replace their knowledge and years of experience overnight. It could take years for the university to recover,” he said.
The chairman said the exodus was being driven largely by what he described as poor conditions of service, adding that KASU academic staff had become among the least-paid university workers in the country.
Abdullahi said the union had engaged stakeholders within and outside Kaduna State to intervene in the matter, stressing that the efforts were aimed at preventing a breakdown of industrial harmony at the institution.
He, however, said the union’s Congress, at its meeting on August 12, 2026, resolved to declare an industrial dispute and embark on a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike in line with the resolution of ASUU’s National Executive Council meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026.
Abdullahi explained that the two-week ultimatum was issued in accordance with established procedures governing industrial disputes, giving the authorities time to take concrete steps towards addressing the union’s demands.
He said, “The two-week ultimatum is to allow the university authorities and other relevant stakeholders to take concrete steps towards the full implementation and domestication of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement.
“Failure to do so will leave the union with no option but to proceed with a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike.”
Apart from the national agreement, the union listed several unresolved local issues affecting its members.
They include university autonomy, excessive workload, promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance coverage, the 25 and 35 per cent wage awards, and pension remittances.
The union chairman urged the university management and other relevant authorities to treat the issues with urgency and provide satisfactory responses to avert industrial action.
He said, “We are committed to pursuing our legitimate demands through established procedures, but we also believe that dialogue remains the best way to resolve the issues and preserve peace and stability in the university.”
ASUU-KASU appealed to parents, stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene to prevent the looming strike, stressing that industrial action would further disrupt academic activities and affect students.
The union reaffirmed its commitment to the struggle for improved welfare and better working conditions for its members, declaring, “Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta.
