Kaduna Governor, Uba Sani, has approved the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-Academic Staff Union of Universities (FGN-ASUU) Salary Agreement for academic staff of Kaduna State University (KASU), with effect from October 2026, and urged lecturers to suspend their ongoing strike.
The Commissioner for Education, Prof Abubakar Sani Sambo, disclosed this at a press briefing in Kaduna on Friday, saying the approval followed the recommendations of the nine-member Government-KASU/ASUU Negotiation Committee constituted by the governor to address the union’s demands.
According to Sambo, the approved package provides for the implementation of the provisions of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, including the revised Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and other applicable salary adjustments and allowances.
He said the government had taken the decision after considering the report of the committee, headed by the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Dr AbdulKadir Muazu Meyere.
The commissioner recalled that the KASU branch of ASUU had earlier embarked on a two-week warning strike, prompting the state government to constitute the negotiation committee.
He also disclosed that Governor Sani had approved a one-off payment of N300 million for Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) to address part of a backlog of more than N800 million in accumulated entitlements and allowances dating back to 2016.
Despite the interventions, the KASU ASUU branch commenced an indefinite strike on Wednesday while negotiations were still ongoing.
Sambo said the decision to implement the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement demonstrated the governor’s commitment to education and human capital development.
He said the state government had allocated at least 25 per cent of its annual budget to education since the governor assumed office, while several interventions had been carried out across the sector.
He listed some of the interventions as the construction and renovation of 3,267 classrooms, provision of 1,194 toilets and 90 boreholes, and supply of 57,777 units of furniture for learners and teachers.
The commissioner also noted that the administration had approved a 50 per cent reduction in tertiary education fees and extended the retirement age of school teachers from 60 to 65 years.
Sambo urged ASUU and other university-based unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), to reciprocate the government’s interventions by returning to dialogue.
He said improved staff welfare should translate into better teaching, research, innovation and student outcomes at KASU.
The commissioner further challenged the university to improve its academic performance and visibility in global rankings, including the Times Higher Education (THE) rankings.
Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of KASU, Prof Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, said the Uba Sani administration had made significant interventions in the welfare of academic and non-academic staff.
Musa said the government had released more than N800 million in withheld salaries over the last three years, in addition to N146 million used to clear outstanding Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) allowances inherited from previous administrations.
He added that the state government had disbursed more than N200 million in overhead funding to KASU in 2026 alone to support laboratory chemicals and reagents, students’ field trips, examinations and other academic activities.
According to him, more than N300 million had also been invested in the accreditation of over 57 academic programmes and resource verification exercises for 60 postgraduate programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The Chairman of the KASU Governing Council, Dr Ibrahim Umar, said the state government had also made progress in addressing the challenge of out-of-school children.
Umar said more than 300,000 children had been returned to school out of an estimated population of over 500,000 out-of-school children inherited by the administration in 2023.
He added that the government had also transformed the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority (KSSQAA) into a more technology-driven and data-based institution.
The government called on all parties to embrace the salary agreement and return to dialogue, describing the approval as an investment in the university and a renewed commitment to improving academic standards.