By: Femi Oyelola in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Government has approved the implementation of the December 2025 Federal Government-ASUU salary agreement for academic staff of Kaduna State University (KASU), with payment set to begin from October 2026.
This was announced on Friday by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, during a press briefing in Kaduna.
Prof. Sambo stated that the approval followed a report and recommendations from a nine-member government KASU-ASUU negotiation committee, established by His Excellency, Governor Uba Sani, CON, to review the union’s demands and develop a fair and responsible framework for implementation.
“The approved package aligns with the provisions of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement, including the revised CONUASS (Consolidated Academic and Technical Allowance) and other applicable salary adjustments and allowances,” Prof. Sambo explained.
He mentioned that this decision reflects Governor Sani’s ongoing commitment to education and human capital development, noting that at least 25% of Kaduna State’s annual budget has been dedicated to education for three consecutive years.
The Commissioner highlighted other initiatives by the administration, including the construction and renovation of 3,267 classrooms, the provision of 1,194 toilets and 90 boreholes, and the distribution of 57,777 pieces of student and teacher furniture, with additional projects ongoing across the 23 local government areas.
He added that the administration approved a 50% reduction in tertiary education fees and extended the retirement age for school teachers from 60 to 65. “For the tertiary institutions, this has led to increased enrollment, and for the teachers, the decision of Governor Sani has boosted their morale and given them more strength to dedicate to teaching our children,” he stated.
On the challenge of out-of-school children, Prof. Sambo said the state has made significant progress. “From an estimated population of over half a million out-of-school children inherited from the Nasir El-Rufai government, more than 300,000 have since been brought back into education,” he said.
He noted that the Federal Government has adopted Kaduna’s household mapping approach to identify out-of-school children as a model, and that the state’s structured vocational training program has produced 4,050 graduates, with the Federal Ministry of Education requesting Kaduna’s technical and vocational training manuals for national use.
The Commissioner also mentioned that Kaduna is leading the annual school census, and that the Minister of Education was so impressed that he appointed Kaduna’s Education Commissioner as Chairman of the Tertiary Education National Coverage Committee.
Prof. Sambo urged ASUU, SSANU, NASU, and NAAT to reciprocate the gesture by engaging in dialogue. “A government that listens and responds to legitimate concerns deserves a university community equally committed to constructive engagement, industrial harmony, and public interest,” he said.
He stressed that better staff welfare should lead to improved teaching, research, innovation, student success, and global competitiveness. He urged KASU to develop strategies to improve its standings in world university rankings, including the Times Higher Education ranking.
During the briefing, Kaduna State University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, called the approval a historic moment for the university.
“Law and order in managing tertiary administration, particularly the university’s, has been a lingering issue for over 17 years. We are grateful and fortunate that Kaduna State has a very agreeable and people-oriented governor who is willing to clear the mess caused by some others,” Prof. Musa said.
He also shared that the governor had allocated acres of land to ASUU-KASU for affordable housing estates before the salary agreement. The governor had also invested hundreds of millions of naira to achieve 100% accreditation of KASU’s programs by the National Universities Commission and relevant professional bodies.
The VC disclosed that the state government had cleared five months’ salary arrears owed to academic staff.
“Across Nigeria, university staff have been owed salary for over five months. And I am here today to publicly inform the public that it is only the Kaduna State Government that has cleared all five months’ salary, and this is unprecedented,” Prof. Musa said.
Responding to a question about communication with ASUU, Prof. Sambo said: “It will be communicated to them today. Immediately we finished this press briefing, the Vice Chancellor is following me to collect a letter from me based on His Excellency’s approval, so that he can in turn inform the union office in the university.”
The Commissioner concluded that the government remains committed to building a university system that is peaceful, competitive, transparent, and equipped to meet the demands of the 21st century.
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