Lecturers at Kaduna State University, under the Academic Staff Union of Universities, have commenced a two-week warning strike over unresolved issues involving salaries, earned academic allowances, university autonomy and promotion arrears.
The decision was reached on Thursday during an emergency congress meeting of the ASUU-KASU chapter attended by hundreds of academic staff.
The union said the strike followed the expiration of a two-week ultimatum earlier issued to the Kaduna State Government to address its outstanding demands.
Although the state government had approved ₦300 million for the payment of Earned Academic Allowance to academic staff, ASUU-KASU said the intervention did not resolve all the issues affecting its members.
Among the outstanding demands are the implementation of the 25–35 per cent salary adjustment, university autonomy and the payment of accumulated promotion arrears.
In a statement shared on its official Facebook page, the union said members agreed to embark on a two-week warning strike, after which they would review the situation and determine their next course of action.
The union warned that if the government failed to make meaningful progress within the two-week period, it could take further action, including shutting down the university.
The development came as ASUU-KASU leaders met with a negotiation committee established by the Kaduna State Government in an effort to resolve the dispute.
The state government had constituted a nine-member committee to negotiate with ASUU-KASU and other university-based unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, Non-Academic Staff Union and National Association of Academic Technologists.
The committee was mandated to review the unions’ demands and work towards resolving outstanding issues affecting staff welfare and industrial harmony at the university.
The government had described the ₦300 million Earned Academic Allowance payment as part of its efforts to address accumulated staff entitlements and improve welfare at KASU.
Meanwhile, opposition politician and 2027 Kaduna governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Isah Ashiru Kudan, criticised the development, saying the strike reflected unresolved challenges within the state’s education sector.
Ashiru, through his spokesperson, Abdulwaheed Olayinka Adubi, urged the state government to engage the union in genuine negotiations and address concerns over staff welfare, university funding and infrastructure.
He argued that prolonged disruptions to academic activities could negatively affect students and the wider development of Kaduna State.
The latest strike has renewed concerns over industrial relations at Kaduna State University, with attention now focused on whether negotiations between the government and the lecturers will produce a resolution before the two-week warning period expires.
