THE Management of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, has dismissed 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, describing the claims as baseless, misleading and a distortion of the facts.
News Point Nigeria reports that the position was contained in a statement signed by the Head of the Information and Public Affairs Unit, Abdullahi Datti Abdullahi, who said the review followed due process and was undertaken with the participation of representatives of all the institution’s in-house unions.
According to the statement, the review exercise was initiated about five years ago by the 4th Governing Council, continued under the 5th Governing Council and concluded by the current 6th Governing Council after inconsistencies were identified in the existing documents and requests were received for their review.
The University explained that ASUU was represented on the review committee but its representative automatically ceased to be a member after proceeding on sabbatical leave in line with the University’s regulations.
The Management stated that repeated requests for the union to nominate a replacement were ignored. It added that although the representative was later reinstated after the matter was reconsidered, ASUU subsequently directed its members not to sign the committee’s final report, a decision the University described as contrary to established regulations.
The statement further noted that the committee’s report was subjected to a comprehensive review during a three-day retreat of the Governing Council in Kaduna, where further amendments were made before the revised documents eventually received final approval.
Among the major concessions approved by the Governing Council, the University said, was a significant reduction in the proportion of publication points required from Scopus- and Web of Science-indexed journals for academic promotions.
Under the revised provisions, only 2.5 per cent of the total publication points is now required for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, while five per cent is required for promotion to the rank of Professor.
The Management further revealed that ASUU boycotted a sensitisation meeting organised to explain the reviewed documents to members of staff and labour unions, opting instead to convene its own congress where it criticised the review exercise.
It added that although most of the reviewed documents took effect in October 2026, the implementation of provisions affecting academic staff was deferred until 2027 under a transitional moratorium.
The University maintained that the Governing Council acted strictly within its statutory powers throughout the review process, stressing that although it had the legal authority to review the documents independently, it deliberately constituted a broad-based committee to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and stakeholder participation.
According to the statement, copies of the reviewed documents have also been forwarded to the Kano State Ministry of Education, the Office of the Head of Service and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for their information and necessary action.
The Management further disclosed that despite rejecting the reviewed Conditions of Service, ASUU accepted the enhanced financial benefits contained in the revised document.
It therefore urged members of the public to disregard what it described as misinformation being circulated by the union and appealed to ASUU to place the overall interest and development of the University above every other consideration.
The University reaffirmed the commitment of the Governing Council, under the chairmanship of Justice Abdu Aboki, JSC, to continue discharging its statutory responsibilities in accordance with the laws and regulations governing the institution while promoting excellence, fairness and sustainable institutional development.