The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Kaduna State University chapter, has expressed its readiness to resume negotiations with the Kaduna State Government in a bid to resolve outstanding issues and prevent a looming strike at the institution.
Key Highlights
- ASUU-KASU ready for talks: The union said it is prepared to resume negotiations with the Kaduna State Government to resolve outstanding issues and avert a strike.
- Union does not want strike: ASUU-KASU said it would prefer dialogue and stability rather than shutting down the university.
- Two-week ultimatum issued: The union’s latest position follows a two-week ultimatum over unresolved demands affecting academic staff.
- 2025 agreement is key demand: ASUU-KASU identified the implementation and domestication of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement as its major concern.
- Seven demands remain unresolved: Of 10 demands previously submitted, three have been addressed while seven remain outstanding after nearly two years of discussions.
The Chairman of ASUU-KASU, Dr Abubakar Abdullahi, made the position known on Thursday at a press conference held at the union’s secretariat in Kaduna.
Abdullahi said the union was willing to meet with government officials at any time, stressing that its primary objective was to secure lasting solutions to the challenges affecting the university.
He said ASUU-KASU would not hesitate to engage the government if such discussions could restore peace and stability to the institution.
“Even if government calls us now, we are ready to move. Anything that will bring peace and stability to the system is what we want. Even if it is 3 am, wherever we are, we are ready to go and engage and find solutions to the problems,” he said.
The union’s latest position comes after it issued a two-week ultimatum to the Kaduna State Government over unresolved issues affecting academic staff.
Abdullahi explained that the ultimatum followed a directive from the national leadership of ASUU but said the union remained hopeful that negotiations could produce concrete results before the deadline expires.
He stressed that the lecturers were not seeking to shut down the university, noting that prolonged industrial action would have serious consequences for students, lecturers and the institution.
“We don’t want to go on strike. We don’t want to shut down the university because we know the implications. We want peace and stability in the university,” the chairman said.
Abdullahi identified the implementation and domestication of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement as the union’s most important demand.
According to him, implementing the agreement would significantly improve the welfare and working conditions of academic staff while addressing some of the challenges confronting Nigerian universities.
“Our major concern is the implementation of the 2025 agreement. If the agreement is implemented, it will go a long way in addressing the welfare of our members and some of the challenges facing the university,” he said.
The ASUU-KASU chairman said the union had previously presented 10 major demands to the authorities, three of which had been addressed.
He commended the government for resolving the three issues but said seven remained outstanding despite nearly two years of engagement.
“We have 10 issues that we raised before. Three have been addressed and we appreciate the government for that. But seven are still outstanding and we have been engaging for almost two years,” Abdullahi said.
The dispute has intensified amid concerns over the movement of academic staff away from Kaduna State University.
ASUU-KASU has alleged that more than 200 lecturers, including professors, have left the institution, citing poor working conditions and the failure to implement the 2025 agreement.
Other issues raised by the union include university autonomy, excessive workload, promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance, wage awards and pension remittances.
The union had warned that failure to resolve its demands could result in a total and indefinite strike.
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The Kaduna State Government has separately indicated its willingness to engage ASUU-KASU in discussions to prevent industrial action.
The Principal Private Secretary to Governor Uba Sani, Prof Bello Ayuba, said on Wednesday that the government was prepared to use dialogue and established channels of engagement to resolve the dispute.
Ayuba urged the lecturers’ union to continue discussions with the government, assuring that the administration was committed to addressing the outstanding issues and preventing disruption to academic activities.
Responding to the government’s position, Abdullahi called for renewed negotiations involving all relevant stakeholders.
He assured the government that ASUU-KASU would approach the discussions in good faith and remain focused on resolving the dispute.
“Anything that will bring peace and stability to the system, we are ready for it. We are ready to sit down with government and find solutions to these problems,” he said.
The union chairman appealed to the state government to act urgently on the outstanding demands, saying a resolution would help rebuild confidence among academic staff and prevent further disruption to academic activities at Kaduna State University.
