The Kaduna State Government has approved the implementation of the December 2025 Federal Government salary agreement for academic staff of Kaduna State University (KASU).
Abubakar Sambo, Commissioner for Education, disclosed this at a press briefing in Kaduna on Friday.
Sambo said the approved package, which would take effect from October 2026, followed recommendations by the nine-member KASU-ASUU negotiation committee.
He said the package included the revised Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS), as well as other applicable salary adjustments and allowances.
According to the commissioner, the approval demonstrated Governor Uba Sani’s commitment to education, human capital development and improved welfare for academic staff.
Sambo urged the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) to reciprocate the government’s gesture by embracing dialogue in resolving differences.
He said improved staff welfare should translate into better teaching, research, innovation, student outcomes and global competitiveness for KASU.
Sambo also urged the university’s management to pursue strategies that would enable the institution to meet international standards and improve its position in global university rankings.
He said the state government appreciated the patience and constructive engagement of KASU management, ASUU and other stakeholders throughout the negotiation process.
The commissioner said the salary approval should be regarded as an investment in Kaduna’s people and a renewed commitment to excellence at KASU.
Kaduna increases investment in education
Sambo said the Kaduna government had allocated at least 25 per cent of its annual budget to education for three consecutive years.
He said the administration had constructed and renovated 3,267 classrooms, provided 1,194 toilets and 90 boreholes across the state.
The government had also supplied furniture for 57,777 learners and teachers, with several other projects ongoing across the state’s 23 local government areas.
Sambo said the government had approved a 50 per cent reduction in tertiary education fees to improve access and increase enrolment.
He added that the extension of teachers’ retirement age from 60 to 65 had improved staff morale and strengthened commitment to teaching.
According to the commissioner, more than 300,000 out-of-school children had returned to education under the administration’s interventions.
He said Kaduna’s household mapping approach for identifying out-of-school children had attracted national attention and was subsequently adopted by the Federal Government.
Sambo added that 4,050 young people had graduated from the state’s structured vocational training programme, while the Federal Ministry of Education had sought Kaduna’s training manuals.
He said Kaduna was also leading in the annual school census, adding that the Minister of Education had appointed him chairman of the Tertiary Education National Coverage Committee.
The commissioner said the state had also transformed its Schools Quality Assurance Authority into a technology-driven, data-based institution.
KASU lauds salary approval
Abdullahi Musa, Vice-Chancellor of KASU, described the approval as a landmark development for the university.
Musa said Governor Sani had demonstrated commitment to resolving longstanding welfare challenges affecting staff of the institution.
He commended the governor for allocating land to KASU academic staff for an affordable housing estate, describing the gesture as unprecedented.
The vice-chancellor said the state government had also provided hundreds of millions of naira to support the accreditation of KASU programmes.
He disclosed that all KASU programmes were currently fully accredited by the National Universities Commission and relevant professional bodies.
Musa also commended the government for funding laboratory chemicals and equipment, saying the university now had a world-class central laboratory.
He said the Kaduna government had also cleared five months of salary arrears owed academic staff, describing the development as unprecedented.
According to him, the clearance of the arrears further demonstrated the governor’s commitment to education and the welfare of university workers.
