Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The management of Kaduna State University has firmly rejected claims by the institution's chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities that more than 200 academic staff have resigned over poor conditions of service, describing the allegation as misleading and unsupported by the university's records.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, in a statement issued on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, accused the union of presenting unverified figures as fact and urged the public to disregard the claim. He said staff movements arising from resignations, retirements, transfers, and pursuit of other professional opportunities were normal within the university system and should not be presented without context as evidence of deteriorating working conditions.
The controversy began on Monday, August 17, when ASUU-KASU Chairman Dr Abubakar Abdullahi told journalists that more than 200 professors and other academic staff had left the university due to poor conditions of service and the non-implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement. The union issued a two-week ultimatum to the Kaduna State Government and university authorities to commence full implementation and domestication of the agreement, warning that failure to do so could lead to a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike.
Abdullahi said the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which provides for improved conditions of service for academic staff, took effect in January 2026 but had yet to be implemented at KASU, making its lecturers among the least-paid university workers in the country. He attributed the departure of experienced academic staff to poor remuneration, warning that the loss of such personnel could take years for the university to recover from. Other outstanding issues listed by the union include university autonomy, excessive workload, promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance coverage, wage awards, and pension remittances.
But in a detailed rebuttal, the Vice-Chancellor challenged ASUU to provide verifiable evidence of the alleged mass resignations, including the identities of the lecturers involved, dates of their resignations, and the reasons they gave for leaving. "Public discourse concerning an institution as important as KASU must be guided by facts and verifiable records, not sweeping assertions capable of creating unnecessary anxiety among students, parents and the university community," Musa said.
The university cited several achievements it said contradicted the claim of widespread staff attrition. Three KASU researchers — Professor Ibrahim Inuwa Yahaya of Chemistry, Dr Daniel Yahaya Shagaiya of Mathematics, and Dr Abdullahi Yusuf Zuntu of Physics — are ranked among the world's top two per cent of scientists. The Kaduna State Government had invested more than N290 million in resource verification and accreditation of over 90 academic programmes, while KASU researchers had attracted more than £945,000 in research funding over the past three years.
The university also listed international partnerships established since 2023, including collaborations with Benha University, Institut Sains dan Unjuk Kerja (ISUJ) in Jakarta, and the Makkah International Centre for Qur'anic Guidance. KASU had also established the China-Nigeria Belt and Road Initiative Joint Laboratory with Zhejiang University and secured a N1 billion competitive research grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund for commercial agriculture research and development.
On staff welfare, the university said the Kaduna State Government had cleared inherited May 2022 salary arrears owed to all categories of staff, paid SIWES allowances, and maintained regular payment of monthly salaries. The government had also released over N800 million for staff welfare over the past three years, established a N50 million monthly intervention fund with KASU-ASUU, and disbursed more than N200 million in overhead funding in 2026 alone. Student welfare measures included scholarships worth more than N1 billion, a 50 per cent reduction in tuition fees, and a directive allowing students unable to pay fees to sit for examinations.
"The university management remains committed to constructive engagement and sustained dialogue with the union in the interest of staff, students, and the continued growth and stability of Kaduna State University," Musa said, appealing to ASUU-KASU to reconsider its position and return to the negotiating table.
As the two-week ultimatum ticks down, the fate of academic activities at Kaduna State University hangs in the balance, with both sides digging in and students caught in the middle of a dispute that threatens to disrupt yet another academic session.
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