Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, has approved a new salary structure for academic and non-academic staff of two state-owned universities, with the revised remuneration taking effect from January 2026 and payments scheduled to begin in September.
The affected institutions are Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, and Northwest University, Kano.
The governor’s spokesperson, Sunusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, announced the approval in a statement issued on Monday.
The state government said the new package was adopted from the remuneration structure implemented by the Federal Government for staff of federal universities.
According to the statement, the approval followed the recommendations of a committee constituted by the Kano State Executive Council to review requests from the two universities for the domestication of the federal salary package.
The government said the adjustment would have a combined monthly financial implication of ₦391.85m, translating to approximately ₦4.70bn annually.
For Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, the monthly cost is projected at ₦228.20m.
Of the amount, ₦141.08m will cover academic staff under the ASUU arrangement, while ₦87.11m will go to non-academic staff under the SSANU arrangement.
At Northwest University, Kano, the monthly implication is ₦163.65m, comprising ₦112.24m for academic staff and ₦51.41m for non-academic workers.
The government said the new remuneration would take effect retrospectively from January 2026, although payment would commence in September.
To fund the September-to-December 2026 component, the state approved ₦1.567bn in its 2026 Supplementary Budget.
The outstanding arrears covering January to August 2026, amounting to ₦3.135bn, will be provided for in the 2027 Budget.
The decision is expected to ease concerns over salary disparities and improve staff welfare at the two institutions.
The government said the salary review was also aimed at promoting industrial harmony and aligning the universities with remuneration arrangements implemented in federal universities and other state-owned institutions.
Beyond the salary adjustment, Governor Yusuf approved the consideration of visitation panels for the two universities and other tertiary institutions in Kano State.
The panels are expected to strengthen accountability, administration and effective management of the institutions.
The governor, according to his spokesman, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving workers’ welfare and strengthening the quality of higher education as part of its broader human-capital development programme.
The new salary commitment will, however, place an additional recurrent burden on the state, with the government having to provide for the revised monthly wage bill as well as the outstanding arrears in subsequent budgets.
For university workers, the implementation could offer financial relief and help strengthen industrial stability across the two institutions.
