KASU ASUU Threatens Indefinite Strike as Over 200 Lecturers Quit Over Poor Conditions
Kaduna, Nigeria – August 17, 2026 — The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter at Kaduna State University (KASU) has threatened a total and indefinite strike, warning that the institution is hemorrhaging talent as more than 200 professors and lecturers have already left over poor pay and working conditions.
At a press conference held on Monday at the union’s secretariat on campus, ASUU-KASU Chairman Comrade Abubakar Abdullahi said the mass departure of experienced academics was “frightening” and risked undermining the university’s standards for years to come.
Why the Lecturers Are Leaving
Abdullahi linked the exodus directly to the failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement, which took effect in January 2026.
Despite repeated letters and engagements with the university management, Governing Council, the Visitor and the Kaduna State Government, the improved conditions of service have not been domesticated at KASU.
Staff at the state-owned university are among the least paid in the Nigerian university system, he said, with salary arrears dating back to the start of the year.
Other long-standing grievances include unpaid promotion arrears, death benefits, group life insurance, the 25 and 35 percent wage awards, pension remittances, excessive workloads and the erosion of institutional autonomy.
“No system survives with this kind of mass exodus,” Abdullahi told reporters*. “It could take years for KASU to recover from the loss of experienced academic staff.”*
Two-Week Ultimatum Issued
The union’s Congress, meeting on August 12, resolved to declare an industrial dispute and move towards a “total, comprehensive and indefinite strike” if demands remain unmet.
This aligns with a broader National Executive Council (NEC) resolution from ASUU’s meeting at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9, which authorized several state university branches—including KASU—to issue ultimatums over the same 2025 agreement.
ASUU-KASU has now given university authorities, the Kaduna State Government and other stakeholders a clear two-week window to begin concrete steps toward full implementation of the agreement and resolution of the outstanding local issues.
Broader Context for Students and the System
KASU is one of about 20 universities across the country granted permission by ASUU’s national leadership to commence strike procedures if progress is not made.
The repeated industrial actions in state universities have repeatedly disrupted academic calendars, delayed graduations, and frustrated students and parents.
Union leaders argue that without competitive remuneration and better working conditions, public universities will continue to lose their best minds to better-paying institutions at home and abroad.
For KASU specifically, the scale of the departures has already raised serious questions about the institution’s capacity to maintain academic quality.
As the two-week countdown begins, attention will turn to whether the Kaduna State Government and university management can deliver tangible progress before the threatened industrial action takes effect.
For students at KASU and their families, the outcome will determine whether the new academic session proceeds normally or faces yet another prolonged disruption.
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