ADUSTECH Dismisses ASUU’s Claims, Defends Review of Conditions of Service

The Management of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, has rejected allegations by the institution’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the review of the University’s Conditions of Service and other governing documents was carried out through an illegal process.

The University described the allegations as “baseless, misleading and a distortion of the facts,” insisting that the review followed due process and involved representatives of all in-house unions.

In a statement signed by the Head of the Information and Public Affairs Unit, Abdullahi Datti Abdullahi, the Management explained that the review process began about five years ago under the University’s 4th Governing Council.

According to the statement, the exercise continued under the 5th Council and was concluded by the current 6th Governing Council after inconsistencies were identified in the existing documents and stakeholders requested their review.

The University stated that ASUU was represented on the review committee but noted that the union’s representative automatically ceased to be a member after proceeding on sabbatical leave, in line with University regulations.

It added that repeated requests for ASUU to nominate a replacement were ignored. Although the representative was later reinstated following a review of the matter, the union subsequently instructed its members not to sign the committee’s final report, a move the Management said was contrary to established procedures.

According to the statement, the committee’s report underwent further scrutiny during a three-day Governing Council retreat in Kaduna, where additional amendments were made before the revised documents received final approval.

The University also highlighted what it described as key concessions in the revised Conditions of Service, including a significant reduction in the proportion of publication points required from Scopus and Web of Science-indexed journals for academic promotions. Under the new provisions, only 2.5 per cent of the total publication points is required for promotion to Associate Professor, while five per cent is required for promotion to Professor.

The Management further alleged that ASUU boycotted a sensitisation meeting organised to explain the reviewed documents to staff and labour unions, opting instead to hold its own congress to criticise the exercise.

It noted that while most of the reviewed documents are scheduled to take effect in October 2026, implementation of provisions affecting academic staff has been deferred until 2027 under a transitional moratorium.

The statement maintained that the Governing Council acted strictly within its statutory powers throughout the review process. It added that although the Council had the legal authority to review the documents independently, it chose to establish a broad-based committee to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and stakeholder participation.

According to the University, copies of the reviewed documents have been forwarded to the State Ministry of Education, the Office of the Head of Service and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for information and necessary action.

The Management also claimed that despite rejecting the reviewed Conditions of Service, ASUU accepted the enhanced financial benefits contained in the revised document.
It urged the public to disregard what it described as misinformation being circulated by the union and called on ASUU to prioritise the overall development of the University.

The statement reaffirmed the commitment of the Governing Council, chaired by Justice Abdu Aboki (JSC), to continue discharging its statutory responsibilities in accordance with the University’s laws while promoting excellence, fairness and sustainable institutional development.