Sa’adu Zungur University Denies Resignation of 30 PhD Holders
Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU) in Bauchi State has denied reports that 30 PhD holders resigned over poor salaries. The university’s Public Relations Officer, Auwal Hassan, stated that only six PhD holders left in the past 1 year and 10 months due to personal reasons unrelated to pay.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
The management of Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU) in Bauchi State has denied reports that 30 PhD holders have resigned from the institution due to poor salary conditions. This was disclosed in a press release on Sunday by the university's Public Relations Officer, Auwal Hassan, who described the claims as misleading and unfounded.
Hassan clarified that the university had not received resignation letters from 30 PhD holders or any significant number of academic staff. He stated that only six PhD holders had left the university over the past 1 year and 10 months, with their departures attributed to personal reasons, not salary-related issues.
“The university has not received any resignation letter from the purported 30 PhD holders or any significant number of academic staff," Hassan emphasized. He also provided statistics showing that some academic staff were away on sabbatical leave, secondment, or dismissed due to disciplinary reasons. Specifically, he noted that six staff members were dismissed due to abscondment or other disciplinary matters, two were on sabbatical, two on secondment, and one on leave of absence.
Hassan added that SAZU currently has 397 academic staff, including 18 professors, 9 readers, 57 senior lecturers, 113 lecturers I, 47 lecturers II, 76 assistant lecturers, and 77 graduate assistants. He highlighted that, under the leadership of Governor Bala Mohammed, the university has consistently prioritized staff welfare, ensuring timely payment of salaries and financial benefits.
In contrast, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Bauchi Zone had earlier claimed that over 30 PhD holders resigned from the university due to poor pay and inadequate working conditions. The Zonal Coordinator, Namo Timothy, made this disclosure at a press conference, calling on the Bauchi State Government to declare a state of emergency at the institution to address the challenges. ASUU also raised concerns about the lack of pension and death benefit schemes for its members and the university’s outstanding obligations, including Earned Academic Allowance and Excess Workload Allowance totaling over ₦650 million.
