Uba Sani approves ₦300m for KASU-ASUU, sets up negotiation c’ttee to avert strike

The Kaduna State Government has constituted a nine-member negotiation committee to engage with the Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other staff unions over their outstanding demands.

The government also approved a one-off payment of ₦300 million as Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) for academic staff of the university.

The decisions were contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, Dr AbdulKadir Mu’azu Meyere, on Monday.

According to the statement, the interventions are part of the administration’s efforts to resolve long-standing staff welfare and funding issues at KASU while preventing disputes that could disrupt academic activities.

Mr Meyere said the ₦300 million EAA payment was part of the government’s sustained efforts to address a backlog of more than ₦800 million in accumulated entitlements and allowances dating back to 2016.

He said the intervention demonstrated Governor Uba Sani’s commitment to staff welfare, industrial harmony and the stability of the university through constructive dialogue and sustainable solutions.

Background

The latest development comes amid demands by university-based unions for improved welfare, payment of outstanding allowances and implementation of agreements affecting academic and non-academic staff.

The government said its interventions over the past three and a half years had included the settlement of outstanding withheld salaries, payment of more than ₦300 million for accreditation of academic programmes and resource-verification exercises for postgraduate programmes, and the release of funds to clear outstanding SIWES supervision allowances.

It also said the administration had established a ₦50 million monthly standing order to facilitate the systematic settlement of outstanding arrears.

The government said the measures were aimed at addressing inherited liabilities while ensuring that KASU remains financially and academically stable.

Committee to Review Union Demands

The negotiation committee will be chaired by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Abubakar Sani Sambo.

Other members are the Commissioner for Business, Innovation and Technology, Mrs Patience Fakai; Commissioner for Youth, Mrs Gloria Ibrahim; Chairman of the Local Government Service Board, Professor Ladan Sharehu; Director-General of the Kaduna State Schools Quality Assurance Authority, Professor Usman Abubakar Zaria; Vice-Chancellor of KASU, Professor Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa; and Pro-Chancellor of the university, Dr Ibrahim Umar.

The Permanent Secretary, General Services, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, is also a member, while the Permanent Secretary, Establishments Services and Training, will serve as secretary to the committee.

The committee has four weeks to complete its assignment and submit its recommendations to the state government.

It is mandated to review the demands of ASUU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).

Among other issues, the committee is expected to examine the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), compare KASU’s situation with prevailing practices in other state-owned universities, and assess the financial implications of implementing demands arising from the 2025 ASUU–Federal Government agreement.

Mr Meyere said the committee was expected to recommend practical, equitable and financially sustainable solutions to the outstanding issues.

Government Appeals for Dialogue

The Secretary to the State Government urged the unions to embrace dialogue, negotiation and collective bargaining rather than resorting to industrial action that could disrupt the academic calendar and adversely affect students and their families.

He said the government’s channels of engagement remained open, assuring the university community of its commitment to strengthening KASU, improving staff welfare and safeguarding uninterrupted academic activities.

The latest intervention therefore places emphasis on negotiation as the preferred route for resolving the KASU unions’ grievances, while the government seeks to balance staff demands with the state’s financial capacity.