•Kaduna State University main gate
The Vice Chancellor of Kaduna State University (KASU), Professor Abdullahi Musa, has dismissed claims by the university’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU-KASU) that more than 200 academic staff have resigned over poor working conditions.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Vice Chancellor described the claim as misleading, saying it did not reflect the realities within the institution.
The controversy followed a press conference by ASUU-KASU, during which the union alleged that more than 200 professors and lecturers had left the university over poor conditions of service and the failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
The union subsequently issued a two-week ultimatum to the authorities, threatening an indefinite strike if its demands were not addressed.
However, KASU management said the movement of academic and non-teaching personnel from one institution to another was a normal feature of the global university system and should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of poor working conditions.
The management urged the union to present staff-mobility figures objectively and avoid statements capable of creating unnecessary anxiety among students, parents and other stakeholders.
According to the university, its recent academic and research achievements point to a growing institution capable of attracting and retaining highly regarded scholars.
It cited the continued service of internationally recognised researchers, including Professor Ibrahim Inuwa Yahaya of the Department of Chemistry, Dr Daniel Yahaya Shagaiya of the Department of Mathematics and Dr Abdullahi Yusuf Zuntu of the Department of Physics, who are ranked among the world’s top two per cent of scientists.
Management also highlighted the Kaduna State Government’s investment of more than N290 million in resource verification and accreditation of over 90 academic programmes as evidence of efforts to strengthen the university’s academic standards.
It said the university had attracted more than £945,000 in research funding over the past three years across different fields.
KASU further listed several international collaborations secured since 2023, including partnerships with Benha University and Institut Sains dan Unjuk Kerja in Jakarta, cooperation with the Makkah International Centre for Qur’anic Guidance, and the establishment of the China-Nigeria Belt and Road Initiative Joint Laboratory in collaboration with Zhejiang University and the Longquan Industrial Innovation Research Institute.
The university also disclosed that it had secured a N1 billion competitive research grant from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) for commercial agriculture research and development.
On staff welfare, management said the Kaduna State Government had cleared inherited salary arrears dating back to May 2022, paid SIWES allowances and continued to pay monthly salaries regularly.
It also pointed to government support for students, including scholarships worth more than N1 billion and a 50 per cent reduction in tuition fees. The government, it added, had also allowed students unable to pay their fees to sit for examinations.
The university said it remained committed to constructive engagement, staff welfare and dialogue aimed at protecting the interests of employees and students while ensuring the continued growth and stability of the institution.
