More than 200 professors and other academic staff have reportedly left Kaduna State University (KASU) over what the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) described as poor conditions of service and the failure of the institution to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement.
The KASU chapter of ASUU has consequently issued a two-week ultimatum to the university management and other relevant authorities to commence the full implementation and domestication of the agreement, warning that failure to address the issues could trigger a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike.
The ASUU-KASU Chairman, Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed this on Monday during a press conference at the union’s secretariat within the Kaduna State University campus.
Abdullahi said the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, designed to improve the welfare and working conditions of academic staff in Nigerian universities, took effect from January 2026. However, he lamented that KASU was yet to commence its implementation.
According to him, the union had made several attempts to engage the university authorities and relevant stakeholders over the matter, but without achieving the desired outcome.
He said ASUU-KASU had written to the university management, Governing Council and the Visitor to the university, as well as the Kaduna State Governor, urging them to take the necessary steps to domesticate and implement the agreement in line with the law establishing the institution.
The union also engaged other stakeholders within and outside Kaduna State in an effort to resolve the dispute and prevent a breakdown of industrial harmony at the university.
Abdullahi, however, said the failure to implement the agreement had persisted despite several months of engagements.
He noted that about eight months after the agreement was signed, KASU had yet to begin implementation, while several federal and state universities had either implemented the agreement or announced timelines for its implementation, including arrangements for the payment of accumulated arrears.
The ASUU-KASU chairman warned that the continued delay was having serious consequences for the university’s workforce and academic standards.
He said the situation had resulted in academic staff at KASU becoming some of the lowest-paid university workers in the country, despite the institution’s previous reputation for prioritising staff welfare.
According to the union, the poor remuneration and working conditions have contributed significantly to the departure of experienced academics from the university.
Abdullahi disclosed that more than 200 professors and other academic staff had already left the institution, describing the development as a serious threat to the university’s academic capacity.
He warned that replacing highly experienced professors and lecturers would not be an easy task and could take several years.
The loss of senior academics, he explained, could affect teaching, research, postgraduate supervision, institutional development and the overall quality of education at the university.
He further warned that failure to implement the agreement would result in the accumulation of salary arrears dating back to January 2026, thereby worsening an already difficult situation.
The union’s concerns extend beyond the implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
ASUU-KASU also identified several outstanding local issues affecting members of the university community. These include university autonomy, excessive workload, outstanding promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance coverage, the 25 and 35 per cent wage awards and pension remittances.
The union maintained that resolving these issues was essential to restoring confidence among academic staff and preventing further deterioration of industrial relations at the university.
Abdullahi said the union’s Congress met on August 12, 2026, and resolved to declare an industrial dispute and embark on a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike if the outstanding issues were not addressed.
The decision, he explained, was consistent with the resolution of the ASUU National Executive Council at its meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026.
However, rather than immediately commence industrial action, the KASU chapter issued a two-week ultimatum to give the university authorities and other relevant stakeholders an opportunity to address the grievances.
The ultimatum, according to the union, was issued in accordance with established procedures governing industrial disputes.
ASUU urged the university management and other authorities to use the period to take concrete steps towards the full implementation and domestication of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
The union stressed that its demand was not merely about salary increases but also concerned the broader welfare, rights and professional conditions of academic staff.
It argued that universities could only provide quality education and sustain meaningful research when their academic workforce was adequately motivated and properly remunerated.
The union expressed concern that the continued loss of experienced lecturers could undermine the long-term development of KASU.
It maintained that universities required stable academic environments to attract and retain qualified personnel, particularly professors and senior lecturers whose expertise is critical to postgraduate education, research and institutional growth.
The union therefore appealed to the university authorities to treat the matter with urgency and provide satisfactory responses before the expiration of the ultimatum.
It warned that failure to do so would leave the union with no option but to commence the planned indefinite strike.
ASUU-KASU also appealed to parents, students, stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene in the dispute and encourage the relevant authorities to resolve the matter before industrial action becomes inevitable.
The union emphasised that a strike would have significant consequences for students, parents and the wider university community, and should therefore be avoided through constructive dialogue and timely intervention.
The latest development comes amid renewed concerns across Nigeria’s university system over lecturers’ welfare, salary structures, working conditions and the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Government and ASUU.
For KASU, the union’s message is clear: the university authorities must act before the two-week ultimatum expires.
Failure to resolve the outstanding issues could trigger a fresh round of disruption to academic activities, further complicating the institution’s efforts to retain experienced academics and maintain stability.
The union said it remained committed to dialogue and industrial peace but insisted that meaningful peace could only be achieved when the welfare concerns of academic staff were addressed.
As the countdown to the expiration of the ultimatum begins, attention will now turn to the KASU management, the Governing Council and the Kaduna State Government to determine whether they will reach an agreement with the lecturers and avert another prolonged disruption of academic activities at the university.
