Kaduna State University, ASUU-KASU Chairman Dr Abubakar Abdullahi and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani are facing renewed pressure in Kaduna, after the lecturers’ union issued a two-week ultimatum over the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement and warned that an indefinite strike could follow.
The warning came amid claims that more than 200 lecturers, including professors, associate professors and PhD holders, have left the university for other institutions in Kaduna and beyond.
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The reported exodus has raised fresh concerns about the ability of the university to retain experienced academics and maintain teaching, research and other core functions if the dispute remains unresolved.
Abdullahi, speaking at a press conference in Kaduna, said the 2025 agreement, which took effect in January 2026, had yet to be implemented at KASU.
“More than eight months after the agreement was signed, Kaduna State University is yet to commence its implementation,” he said.
The union said it had repeatedly approached the university management, Governing Council and the Visitor to the institution, Governor Uba Sani, seeking the domestication and implementation of the agreement.
The dispute is part of a wider disagreement between ASUU and several state governments over the implementation of the 2025 agreement.
In July, ASUU’s Kano Zone urged the governments of Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa to implement the deal in their state-owned universities, warning that continued delays could lead to industrial action.
The agreement followed a prolonged renegotiation between the Federal Government and ASUU.
The National Universities Commission said the deal was reached on December 23, 2025, after years of negotiations dating back to the review of the 2009 agreement.
It took effect from January 1, 2026.
Among its provisions is a 40 per cent upward review of academic staff remuneration, alongside measures covering pension arrangements, research funding, university autonomy and other conditions of service. ([Federal Ministry of Information][3])
The Federal Government has since established an implementation monitoring committee involving government officials and ASUU representatives. The National Universities Commission said the committee was created to monitor compliance, address emerging problems and promote industrial harmony.
For KASU lecturers, however, the national framework has yet to translate into the improvements they are demanding.
Abdullahi said the delay had left academic staff at the institution among the lowest-paid university academics in Nigeria and warned that outstanding payments could accumulate from January 2026 if implementation eventually begins without addressing the arrears.
The union also cited unresolved promotion arrears, university autonomy, excessive workloads, death benefits, group life insurance, pension remittances and the unpaid 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards among its concerns.
The most troubling development is the reported loss of experienced academics.
Abdullahi said more than 200 lecturers had departed, including senior academics whose experience would be difficult to replace quickly.
“The loss of experienced academic staff could take years for the university to recover from,” he warned.
The claim follows an earlier warning from ASUU-KASU in May, when Dr Usman Sadiq, a member of the branch’s media committee, said economic pressures and poor motivation had already pushed competent lecturers out of the institution, with others considering leaving.
At the time, Sadiq also raised concerns about promotion arrears and administrative restrictions affecting the university’s operations.
He said ASUU’s patience was running out and warned that industrial action could resume if outstanding issues were not addressed.
The current dispute also follows a difficult period in the university’s recent industrial relations history.
In April 2025, ASUU-KASU began an indefinite strike over unresolved welfare and employment issues.
The action was later suspended in May after the union agreed to give the Kaduna State Government an opportunity to address its concerns.
The suspension itself generated disagreement, with ASUU-KASU at the time challenging a statement by the university management suggesting that the strike had been suspended, arguing that management did not have the authority to suspend industrial action declared by the union.
Since then, the university has continued to pursue its academic activities.
KASU’s official website lists Professor Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa as Vice-Chancellor and has reported recent academic activities, including faculty workshops and research-related programmes.
The Kaduna State Government has also previously taken steps towards resolving some of the university’s financial difficulties.
During the 2025 strike dispute, KASU said Governor Uba Sani had approved a ₦50 million monthly standing order for staff welfare support and released ₦146 million towards withheld salaries and Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme allowances.
Those interventions provide some context to the present dispute, although ASUU’s latest position indicates that several major issues remain unresolved.
The situation is therefore not simply about salaries.
At its heart is a wider struggle over staff retention, university autonomy, working conditions and the capacity of a state-owned university to remain competitive in an increasingly demanding higher education environment.
The possibility of another prolonged strike has also raised concerns for students, parents and the wider academic community.
ASUU-KASU said it had engaged stakeholders within and outside Kaduna State in an effort to resolve the dispute without industrial action.
“We want the authorities to treat these issues with urgency and provide satisfactory responses to avert industrial disharmony and preserve peace and stability at the institution,” the union said.
The next two weeks could prove decisive.
If the Kaduna authorities and KASU management reach an agreement with the lecturers, the university may avoid another disruptive confrontation and begin addressing the deeper concerns around staff retention.
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If the deadline passes without a satisfactory response, however, ASUU’s threatened indefinite strike could add a fresh and potentially damaging chapter to the university’s ongoing battle over staff welfare and institutional stability.
