Sa’adu Zungur University, Bauchi State, Denies Reports of Mass PhD Holders' Resignation
Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State has denied claims of 30 PhD holders resigning due to poor salary, stating only six staff members have exited for personal reasons.
Lois Udoye 
Bauchi State’s Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU) has dismissed claims that 30 PhD holders have resigned from the institution, refuting recent reports by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) about mass resignations due to poor working conditions.
In a press release issued on Sunday, the university’s Public Relations Officer, Auwal Hassan, labeled the allegations as “misleading, inaccurate, and unfounded.” He emphasized that no resignation letters citing poor salary had been received from any of the university's PhD holders.
“The university has not received any resignation letter from the purported 30 PhD holders or any significant number of academic staff,” Hassan clarified. He acknowledged that only six PhD holders had exited or are currently away from the university during the 1 year and 10 months of the current administration’s tenure, and these departures were due to personal reasons, not salary concerns.
Hassan further provided details of the staff currently absent from the university, citing disciplinary actions, sabbatical leave, leave of absence, and secondment. He revealed that "six persons were dismissed based on abscondment or disciplinary grounds, while two are on sabbatical leave, two on secondment, and one on leave of absence."
The PRO also presented statistics showing SAZU’s total academic staff count at 397, including 18 Professors, 9 Readers, 57 Senior Lecturers, 113 Lecturer I, and various other academic positions.
Hassan emphasized the administration’s commitment to staff welfare, attributing this to the support of Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed. He mentioned that timely salary payments and other financial benefits, such as promotion arrears, had been provided since December 2022.
However, contrasting views were expressed by the Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Bauchi Zone, Namo Timothy. At a press conference on Friday, Timothy asserted that at least 30 PhD holders had resigned from the university due to inadequate handling of university affairs and staff welfare.
He called on the Bauchi State Government to declare a state of emergency at SAZU, warning that industrial harmony between the university’s ASUU branch and the administration could no longer be guaranteed unless immediate steps were taken.
Timothy also lamented the university’s failure to provide its members with a pension or death benefit scheme, stating that SAZU owed over ₦650 million in Earned Academic Allowances and Excess Workload Allowances since 2012.
In addition, he raised concerns over the appointment of a Bursar with a Higher National Diploma (HND) qualification, contrary to university regulations that require a minimum of a first degree for the position. This, he said, had dampened staff morale and led to the exodus of highly trained PhD holders.
The conflicting accounts highlight growing tensions between the university management and its academic staff as they navigate issues of staff welfare and institutional governance.
