State universities should do well to implement agreement with ASUU
Failure to implement the 2025 agreement between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the federal government is once again threatening to disrupt the academic calendar in some public-owned universities. Last week, the Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter of ASUU gave a two-week ultimatum to the authorities to address their grievances. The union’s chairman, Abubakar Abdullahi, said failure to implement the latest agreement which became operational in January 2026, in addition to deteriorating conditions of service had led to the exit of about 200 experienced academic staff. But the Vice Chancellor of KASU, Abdullahi Musa, has rejected the claims, arguing that staff movements arising from resignation, retirement, and the pursuit of professional opportunities were a routine within the university system.
However, Musa also acknowledged that some issues relating to staff welfare remained unresolved, but that the university management is committed to addressing them. He stated that the administration of Governor Uba Sani had taken several measures to improve the welfare of staff and urged KASU to reconsider any action that could impose additional hardship on students and their parents. He said, for instance, that the state government has released more than N800 million for staff welfare over the past three years, and an additional N146 million to clear outstanding allowances inherited from previous administrations. The Vice Chancellor listed other interventions by the state government since the beginning of 2026 including N200 million in overhead funding for essential operations, and another N300 million for the accreditation of over 57 academic programmes and resource-verification exercises.
