The Vice-Chancellor of Kaduna State University (KASU), Prof. Abdullahi Ibrahim Musa, has rejected claims by the university’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that about 200 lecturers resigned from the institution over poor working conditions, describing the claim as misleading and unsupported by university records.
Musa, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said staff movements arising from resignations, retirements, transfers and the pursuit of professional opportunities were normal within the university system. He challenged ASUU-KASU to provide verifiable evidence, including the identities, resignation dates and reasons of the lecturers it claimed had left the institution.
The vice-chancellor urged stakeholders to base public discussions about KASU on facts and verifiable records rather than sweeping assertions capable of causing unnecessary anxiety among students, parents and members of the university community.
Musa said Governor Uba Sani had cleared some salary arrears and taken steps to improve the welfare of academic and non-academic staff since assuming office.
According to him, the government had released more than ₦800 million for staff welfare over the past three years.
He added that another ₦146 million was released to clear withheld salaries and outstanding Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) allowances.
Musa said KASU had consequently cleared inherited withheld salary obligations, demonstrating the government’s efforts to resolve long-standing welfare issues.
The vice-chancellor said the government, university management and KASU-ASUU had established a ₦50 million monthly intervention to support the institution.
He added that the government had disbursed more than ₦200 million in overhead funding in 2026 to support essential university operations, including laboratory chemicals and reagents, students’ field trips, examinations and other academic activities.
Musa said the state government had invested more than ₦300 million in the accreditation of over 57 academic programmes.
He added that the investment also supported resource verification exercises for 60 postgraduate programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The vice-chancellor said KASU had secured full accreditation for seven professional programmes from relevant regulatory bodies.
He listed Nursing and Midwifery, Physiotherapy and the newly established Digital Learning Centre among the programmes that secured full accreditation.
Musa said the university had established 14 research centres and two specialised institutes to promote research and innovation.
He said the institutions would support multidisciplinary research, professional development, innovation and knowledge transfer.
The vice-chancellor said KASU had introduced professional development initiatives, including long-vacation training programmes for teachers and other professionals.
He added that the university had secured a ₦1 billion competitive TETFund grant for commercial agriculture.
According to him, KASU researchers had attracted seven high-profile international research grants within the last three years.
He said the researchers had also attracted several national and institutional grants, demonstrating the growing competitiveness of the university’s research community.
Musa said Governor Sani had prioritised access and affordability by reducing tuition fees across state-owned tertiary institutions, including KASU.
He added that the government had paid more than ₦1.6 billion in local and foreign scholarships to indigent students.
The vice-chancellor said KASU had also expanded international academic and research partnerships with institutions in Russia, Egypt, Britain, Indonesia, China and other countries.
According to him, the partnerships had created opportunities for collaborative research, academic mobility and capacity development.
Musa said the interventions demonstrated the government’s commitment to staff welfare, academic excellence, affordability, research and the overall development of the university.
He, however, acknowledged that some welfare issues remained unresolved, stressing that management was committed to addressing them progressively.
The vice-chancellor urged ASUU-KASU to reconsider actions capable of disrupting the academic calendar and imposing hardship on students and parents.
He said established channels of engagement remained open while measurable progress continued on outstanding welfare matters.
Musa advised ASUU to focus on legitimate welfare concerns and avoid being drawn into partisan politics or being used by individuals seeking political advantage.
He said lecturers’ welfare, university stability and students’ education and future must remain paramount to all stakeholders.
The vice-chancellor maintained that constructive dialogue remained the most effective path to resolving outstanding issues sustainably.
He urged stakeholders to regard industrial action as a last resort, particularly where the government had demonstrated willingness to engage and provide substantial resources.
