Over 200 lecturers, including professors, have left Kaduna State University (KASU) amid poor welfare conditions and the non-implementation of a key national agreement, prompting the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to issue a two-week strike ultimatum.
The ASUU-KASU Chairman, Dr. (or Comrade) Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed the mass departure at a press conference held on Monday, August 17, 2026, at the union’s secretariat on the university campus in Kaduna.
He said more than 200 academic staff—including professors, associate professors, PhD holders, and other senior lecturers—had exited the institution, primarily due to poor conditions of service, inadequate remuneration, and the failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement.
Most of those who left have secured appointments at newer universities within and outside Kaduna State, attracted by better pay and welfare packages. Abdullahi described the exodus as a serious “haemorrhage of experienced manpower,” warning that “no system survives this kind of” loss and that replacing highly skilled academics, especially professors, would take years and require substantial resources. The departures threaten teaching quality, research output, and the overall academic development of the university.
The 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which aims to improve conditions of service for academic staff across Nigerian universities, took effect in January 2026. More than eight months later, KASU has yet to begin implementation or domesticate the agreement, even as nearly all federal universities and several state universities have either implemented it or announced timelines for payment of accrued arrears. This delay has left KASU lecturers among the least-paid university academics in the country, a sharp contrast to the institution’s earlier reputation for prioritizing staff welfare. Continued inaction would lead to further accumulation of salary arrears dating back to January 2026.
Abdullahi noted that the union had written multiple letters to the university management, the Governing Council, and the Visitor to the university, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani. It had also engaged various stakeholders to promote industrial harmony. The ASUU-KASU congress met on August 12, 2026, reviewed the situation, and resolved to declare an industrial dispute. This decision aligns with a resolution of ASUU’s National Executive Council, which met at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026.
The union has now issued a two-week ultimatum to the Kaduna State Government, university authorities, and other relevant stakeholders to fully implement and domesticate the 2025 agreement. Failure to act could result in a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike at KASU. Beyond the national agreement, ASUU-KASU highlighted unresolved local issues, including university autonomy, excessive workload, outstanding promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance coverage, payment of the 25 percent and 35 percent wage awards, and pension remittances.
Abdullahi urged the authorities to address the concerns urgently to avert disruption of academic activities. He appealed to parents, stakeholders, and the public to support efforts to prevent industrial action, while reaffirming the union’s commitment to pursuing its demands through lawful means and dialogue. “Aluta Continua, Victoria Ascerta,” the chairman declared.
As of the latest reports, there has been no immediate public response from the Kaduna State Government or KASU management on the ultimatum or the reported resignations. The situation has raised broader concerns about brain drain and welfare challenges in Nigeria’s public university system.
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