BY TAIBAT UMMI YAKUBU

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Katsina State Government, demanding the implementation of two newly approved allowances for academic staff in state-owned tertiary institutions.

The union warned that lecturers in state institutions should not be excluded from benefits secured for their counterparts in federal institutions following an agreement reached between ASUP and the Federal Government.

The chairman of ASUP, Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic Chapter, Muhammad Nasir-Gidado, announced the union's position in a statement issued on Tuesday in Katsina.

He explained that the allowances, known as the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), were part of an agreement with the Federal Government, which provides for their payment to eligible academic staff beginning from January 2026.

According to Nasir-Gidado, the decision to extend the benefits to state-owned institutions followed deliberations at the union's 118th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Thursday, October 22.

He said the union had subsequently written to state governments across the country, asking them to adopt the same arrangement and ensure that academic staff in their respective institutions enjoy similar entitlements.

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In Katsina, the union said it had formally communicated its demand to the state government and issued a 15-day ultimatum, which commenced on October 27.

The institutions affected by the demand include Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina; Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management; College of Health Sciences, Katsina; and College of Nursing Sciences, Katsina.

Nasir-Gidado appealed to Governor Dikko Umaru Radda to personally intervene and ensure that the allowances are implemented within the stipulated period.

He stressed that lecturers working in state-owned tertiary institutions deserve equal consideration and benefits, arguing that their counterparts in federal institutions should not enjoy an advantage simply because of the ownership of their schools.

The union urged the governor to treat the matter as a priority, warning that the 15-day deadline was intended to secure a timely government response to the welfare demands of its members.