Academic activities at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic in Zaria, Kaduna State, have ground to a halt as lecturers and other staff members stage a one-week warning strike to protest a salary crisis that union leaders describe as dire and humiliating. The strike, which began on June 16, 2025, follows years of unfulfilled promises and policy delays, pushing many academic professionals to leave the institution in search of better opportunities.
At the center of the protest lies a shocking revelation: assistant lecturers at the institution earn a monthly salary of N64,400, an amount that staff unions say is less than the monthly allowance received by National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, who currently receive N80,000. The situation, according to union leaders, is triggering a mass exodus of qualified personnel from the polytechnic.
One-Week Strike Paralyzes Academic Operations
The strike, which involves all staff under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the institution, is aimed at drawing urgent attention to the non-implementation of the National Polytechnic and Colleges of Education Salary Structure (CONPCASS/CONTEDISS). Staff are also demanding enforcement of the 65-year retirement age policy for non-teaching staff, which remains largely ignored.
During an interview on June 19, 2025, Malam Usman-Shehu Suleiman, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), Nuhu Bamalli chapter, and head of the Joint Action Committee, condemned the state’s failure to act. He said the inadequate compensation structure has led to mass resignations and severely damaged staff morale.
“An assistant lecturer currently earns N64,400 as take-home pay, and that is totally demoralizing. Our members are leaving in droves. We are witnessing a brain drain of unprecedented scale,” Suleiman stated.
A Deepening Brain Drain Crisis
The union chair described several instances of highly trained academic personnel abandoning the institution shortly after completing sponsored postgraduate programs. In one particularly disheartening case, a lecturer who had received full sponsorship from Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic to pursue both master’s and Ph.D. degrees returned only to resign due to the unbearable working conditions.
Having signed a bond with the institution prior to his studies, the lecturer was forced to repay over N21 million, as stipulated by the sponsorship agreement. Suleiman lamented that such outcomes reflect poorly on government priorities and risk destroying the future of technical education in Kaduna State.
“Our lecturers are being poached by institutions like the Federal University of Transportation, Daura, Federal Polytechnic Gombe, and Kaduna State University (KASU),” Suleiman added. “Once they compare salaries, there’s no incentive to stay at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic.”
He warned that if the current trajectory continues, the institution may struggle to maintain any semblance of academic integrity, as many departments are already operating with severe staff shortages.
Broken Promises: A History of Unmet Agreements
The crisis at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic is not a new development. Leaders of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP), which is also part of the strike, recalled that the push for salary structure adjustments began as far back as 2009. According to Abubakar Aliyu-Shika, Chairman of SSANIP’s NUBA chapter, the state government made formal commitments in 2010 and again in 2014, but failed to implement any real reforms.
“We have held multiple dialogues with the government. On June 11, 2010, and again on June 19, 2014, memoranda were signed promising salary structure upgrades. Nothing has changed,” Aliyu-Shika revealed.
He added that despite these commitments, each successive administration has cited paucity of funds as a reason for the failure to honor the agreements. The unions, however, now argue that this excuse is no longer tenable.
“On December 17, 2024, Governor Uba Sani gave his word that the new Polytechnic and Colleges of Education salary structure would be implemented in the first quarter of 2025. We’re now in the second quarter, and there’s still no policy implementation or budget allocation toward this cause,” Aliyu-Shika emphasized.
Questions Over State Priorities
Union officials have raised concerns about Kaduna State’s stated reasons for delay. They argue that the government’s recent hiring of 500 new staff contradicts claims of insufficient revenue.
“If the state could afford the recruitment of 500 staff, why is it struggling to pay a living wage to existing academic staff?” asked one union member. “This clearly suggests that the resources exist, but the political will does not.”
Critics believe that poor budgeting choices, misalignment of state priorities, and lack of engagement with educational unions are responsible for the deepening crisis.
The Broader Impact on Technical Education
The strike at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic is yet another symptom of a broader malaise affecting technical and vocational education in Nigeria. For years, polytechnic lecturers across the country have demanded parity with university lecturers, arguing that their roles in skill development and innovation are equally vital to national progress.
However, many polytechnics—especially those under state control—continue to operate with obsolete equipment, outdated curricula, and underpaid personnel. These conditions have eroded public confidence in technical institutions and driven students to universities, further weakening Nigeria’s industrial capacity.
According to education analysts, Kaduna State’s failure to act risks undermining national policies aimed at strengthening Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education.
“The government must understand that technical education is not optional. It is the bedrock of industrial development. When polytechnics suffer, the economy suffers,” said an education policy expert based in Abuja.
Students Left in Limbo
Meanwhile, students at Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic remain the most affected by the ongoing strike. With academic activities halted indefinitely, final-year students preparing for exams and projects are uncertain about their future. Many have expressed frustration over the recurrent labor unrest and called on the government to resolve the dispute immediately.
One student, who requested anonymity, said:
“We’ve lost precious academic time, and this isn’t the first time. It’s discouraging. Some of my friends are now considering transferring to other institutions.”
The student body has also appealed to both the state government and staff unions to resume negotiations and find a middle ground before the institution’s reputation suffers further damage.
Unions Hold Firm on Demands
Despite pressure to end the strike, union leaders have declared that their demands are non-negotiable this time. They have warned that if the government fails to meet their demands at the end of the one-week warning strike, they may declare an indefinite industrial action.
“We’ve tolerated broken promises for over a decade. This strike is the final call,” said Suleiman. “If our salaries cannot guarantee a dignified life, then we will withdraw our services until something changes.”
He concluded by calling on civil society organizations, students, and education stakeholders to support the cause, noting that the future of technical education in Nigeria depends on decisive action today.
