The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Kaduna State in the 2027 election, Shehu Bawa, has urged the state government to end the dispute with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Kaduna State University chapter.

He appealed for increased funding and open dialogue to restore stability at the university and protect students’ academic calendar.

Mr Bawa made the call in a press statement issued on Monday in Kaduna, saying the prolonged situation at KASU had affected students, parents, and lecturers.

He noted that disruptions to academic calendars had left many students with uncertain graduation timelines, while parents continued to bear accommodation and living expenses.

Mr Bawa also expressed concern over reports of lecturers leaving the institution due to unresolved welfare issues.

He lamented that state budget records showed a significant drop in education allocation in the 2026 revised appropriation, from N243.9 billion to N219.2 billion, moving from 24.74 per cent to 22.2 per cent of the total budget.

According to him, between 2023 and 2025, the share of education in the final state budgets also declined from 27.6 per cent to 16.9 per cent.

On capital releases to tertiary institutions, the candidate said KASU was allocated about N15.2 billion for capital projects in 2024 and 2025 combined, but only N439.7 million was reportedly released during the period.

He said similar patterns existed at Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, and Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria.

The PDP candidate also called for a review of government spending priorities, noting that in 2025, about N4.7 billion was spent on foreign trips and estacodes, while N2.1 billion was spent on publicity and advertisements.

“By mid-2026, an additional N2.1 billion had been spent on foreign travel expenses,” Mr Bawa observed.

He, however, lamented that the N800 million in academic allowances owed to university staff remained unpaid.

Mr Bawa proposed a “Five-Point ABG Education Alternative” to address the challenges.

The plan, he noted, includes cash-backed budgeting to match allocations with releases, dedicated funding for infrastructure and research in KASU and other institutions, and regular dialogue with ASUU to prevent academic disruptions.

Mr Bawa also suggested reducing non-essential administrative spending and creating a public dashboard to track education budget performance.

“Kaduna has always been known as the Centre of Learning. The true test of our education budget is not just the figures announced, but how much reaches the classrooms and changes lives,” he said.

Mr Bawa urged the state government to return to negotiations with the ASUU-KASU chapter and work towards implementing the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement to restore stability in the institutions.

“Our students deserve certainty, our parents deserve value for their sacrifice, and our lecturers deserve a conducive environment to teach,” Mr Bawa added.

The ASUU, KASU chapter commenced a two-week warning strike on August 27.

The strike followed the expiration of a two-week ultimatum issued on August 12, after the union rejected a ₦300 million earned allowance said to have been approved by Governor Uba Sani, citing the amount as insufficient to address the core issues.

(NAN)