The Kano Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the governments of Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa states of failing to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement in their state-owned universities, warning that continued delay could trigger industrial unrest.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at Bayero University, Kano, the Zonal Coordinator, Comrade Abdulrazaq Ibrahim, said while the Federal Government had begun implementing key aspects of the agreement in most federal universities, state-owned institutions within the Kano Zone were yet to domesticate or implement its provisions.
The Kano Zone comprises Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Bayero University, Kano; Kaduna State University; Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil; Federal University Dutse; Northwest University, Kano; Sule Lamido University, Kafin Hausa; and Federal University of Technology Babura.
According to the union, the Federal Government has released funds to federal universities for the payment of outstanding five-month salary arrears, as well as the payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA), Professorial Secretariat Administrative Allowance (SAA), and Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).
SolaceBase reports that ASUU also expressed concern that no state-owned university in Kano, Kaduna or Jigawa states has fully implemented the agreement, despite some states outside the zone already domesticating and enforcing its provisions.
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“The Union calls on the governments of Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa states to respect both the letter and spirit of the agreement by settling all outstanding entitlements and resolving all pending issues in their respective universities in the interest of lasting industrial harmony,” Ibrahim said.
ASUU warned that it remained committed to ensuring that all its members benefited fully from the gains secured through years of negotiations, adding that it had formally notified the implementation monitoring committee of the urgent need to ensure full compliance in state-owned universities.
The union also rejected reports suggesting that the Federal Government had no intention of paying the withheld three-and-a-half months’ salaries owed to its members.
It maintained that lecturers continued carrying out research during the strike period and resumed other academic responsibilities immediately after the industrial action was suspended, insisting that the withheld salaries should be paid.
On pension matters, ASUU decried the delay in remitting outstanding third-party deductions and pension contributions covering both the pre- and post-IPPIS exit periods.
The union urged the relevant authorities to immediately settle the outstanding obligations and ensure regular remittance of pension contributions to Pension Fund Administrators.
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Beyond university issues, ASUU expressed concern over Nigeria’s worsening security and economic challenges, citing terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, farmer-herder conflicts and the impact of climate change on livelihoods.
It called on governments at all levels to prioritise the protection of lives and property while implementing policies that promote economic justice, national stability and sustainable development.
The union warned that failure by the affected state governments to implement the 2025 agreement would undermine industrial harmony and disrupt academic activities across universities in the zone.
ASUU appealed to parents, students, the media, civil society organisations and the general public to prevail on the Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa state governments to fulfil their commitments, stressing that continued neglect would threaten access to quality higher education and the future of thousands of students.
