A severe manpower crisis has hit Kaduna State University (KASU) following the mass resignation of over 200 professors and senior academic staff over poor welfare and a lingering industrial dispute.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), KASU Chapter, on Monday issued a fresh two-week ultimatum to the university authorities and the Kaduna State Government to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement or face a total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike.

Addressing journalists at the union`s secretariat in Kaduna, ASUU-KASU Chairman, Comrade Abubakar Abdullahi, revealed that the institution`s workforce is depleted because lecturers are fleeing "abysmal" working conditions.

According to Abdullahi, the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement aimed at upgrading the welfare of university workers legally took effect in January 2026. However, eight months later, KASU has failed to domesticate or implement the policy.

"Our members are now among the least-paid university workers in Nigeria," Abdullahi lamented. "While almost all federal universities and several state-owned institutions have either implemented the agreement or announced clear timelines for payment alongside accrued arrears, KASU remains stagnant."

The union stated it had written multiple letters to the university management, the Governing Council, and the state Governor (the institution`s Visitor) to avert a crisis, but received no positive outcome.

The ultimatum follows a resolution passed by the KASU congress on August 12, 2026, aligning with the directives of ASUU`s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held at the University of Abuja on August 8 and 9.

Beyond the 2025 salary agreement, the union listed several unresolved local grievances fueling the lecturers` exit, including: Eroded university autonomy. Excessive workload due to severe staff shortages. Unpaid promotion arrears and death benefits. Lack of group life insurance coverage. Non-remittance of pension contributions. Withheld 25% and 35% wage awards.

The union warned that the mass departure of top-tier academics has dealt a heavy blow to the institution`s standards, noting that it will take decades to recover the lost intellectual capital.

While declaring an official industrial dispute, ASUU-KASU appealed to parents, traditional rulers, and well-meaning Nigerians to intervene before the 14-day window closes to save the academic session from total disruption.