…Says, “Kaduna cannot build future by neglecting classroom.”
by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna State chapter, has accused the Kaduna State Government of “prioritizing overseas trips and publicity” above and over students and lecturers, warning that the ongoing crisis at Kaduna State University, KASU, is an “alarming indictment” of the state’s future.
Addressing journalists Monday in Kaduna at the party’s Secretariat, the 2027 Kaduna State PDP governorship candidate of the party, Hon. Usman Shehu Bawa, popularly known as “ABG,” said the prolonged disputes between the Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (KASU) Chapter had gone beyond an industrial dispute and was now destroying the lives of students, parents and lecturers.
“Every single day this crisis persists, real lives are being shattered across our state. Students see their futures suspended indefinitely, as their graduation dates vanish into thin air, while parents are financially drained,” he said.
He added that the state was also losing seasoned lecturers due to “abysmal working conditions and unresolved grievances,” warning that Kaduna was “actively driving away the brilliant minds responsible for training the doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, and innovators who should be building Kaduna’s tomorrow.”
ABG presented budget performance data to back his claims, alleging that, while the government boasts of ‘meeting education budget benchmarks,’ actual releases and spending tell a different story.
He cited UNESCO’s recommendation of 25.2% allocation to education. According to him, “In 2023, education got 105.42 billion Naira or 28% of the final budget, but by 2024, the sector’s share dropped to 19.6% despite the total budget rising to 665.48 billion Naira.
“In 2025,” he said, “The sector received 133.67 billion Naira out of 790.44 billion Naira, representing just 16.9%.”
The PDP candidate further alleged that capital budget execution in tertiary institutions was “catastrophic.”
At KASU, he said, out of a 15.41 billion Naira final budget in 2023, only 5.99 billion Naira was released, with capital releases at just 125.58 million Naira. “By 2025, capital release was 344.78 million Naira against a 4.29 billion Naira budget.”
He gave similar figures for Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria, and Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya, where capital releases in some years were less than 1% or zero.
“These are not abstract administrative figures; they represent unbuilt classrooms, empty laboratories, abandoned scientific research, poorly-equipped libraries and thousands of stolen educational opportunities,” ABG stated.
The governorship hopeful accused the government of reckless spending on travel, publicity and hospitality, while refusing to settle outstanding obligations to lecturers.
Citing official expenditure records, he alleged that, in 2025, the government spent about 4.7 billion Naira on publicity and advertisements, 1.1 billion Naira on Government House upkeep, 2.1 billion Naira on international transport and estacodes, and 609.7 million Naira on entertainment. “By mid-2026,” he said, “Another 2.1 billion Naira had been spent on foreign trips and 694.6 million Naira on publicity.”
He contrasted this with the government’s alleged refusal to settle 800 million Naira in earned academic allowances owed to university staff.
“When students are losing crucial years of their lives and lecturers are abandoning their posts, we must confront the horrifying question of what this government truly values: lavish international trips and serving propaganda instead of the survival and future of our children,” he said.
ABG also faulted basic education in the state, noting that 74.3% of Primary 4 pupils and 63.3% of Primary 6 pupils could not attain minimum proficiency in literacy.
The PDP candidate said his administration would execute a “complete overhaul” of the education sector through what he called the “Five-Point ABG Education Alternative.”
Key promises include: cash-backed budgeting so allocations are matched by immediate releases, dedicated funding for KASU and other institutions for infrastructure and research, permanent social dialogue with ASUU to guarantee industrial harmony, slashing wasteful administrative travel, and launching a public performance dashboard for transparency.
“Kaduna claims to be the ‘Centre of Learning,’ but that title is being reduced to an empty slogan, while our universities fall apart and our youth are left stranded,” he said.
ABG urged the State Government to immediately halt its “propaganda campaign,” return to honest negotiations with ASUU, and honor the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement without further delay.
“Our students cannot remain collateral damage, and our lecturers must not be forced to choose between their professional dedication and basic human survival,” he said.
He concluded that, “Together, we can choose a path that restores dignity to our institutions and secures the future of Kaduna State.”
The briefing was preceded with what the party described as “expanded SEC meeting,” which was attended by former Governors, including Mohammed Makarfi, Ramadan Yero, all Senatorial, House of Representatives and Assemblies candidates from across the State and LGs.