By ABBAS BAMALI

The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has given the Katsina State Government a 15-day ultimatum to implement newly approved allowances for academic staff.

Mr Muhammad Nasir-Gidado, ASUP Chairman, Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic Chapter, announced this in a statement on Tuesday in Katsina.

He said the allowances, known as Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and Earned Academic Allowance (EAA), followed an agreement with the Federal Government.

The agreement, effective from January 2026, provides for the payment of the allowances to eligible academic staff.

Nasir-Gidado said the union reached the decision at its 118th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting held on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Following the agreement, he said ASUP had formally communicated the development to state governments nationwide.

The union requested that state governments extend the same benefits to academic staff in their respective polytechnics and other relevant institutions.

He said the union had also formally communicated the ultimatum to the Katsina State Government.

According to him, the 15-day ultimatum began on Oct. 27.

He listed the affected institutions to include Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic, Katsina, and Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management.

Others are the College of Health Sciences, Katsina, and the College of Nursing Sciences, Katsina.

Nasir-Gidado appealed to Gov. Dikko Radda to intervene and ensure the implementation of the allowances within the stipulated period.

He urged the governor to give the matter urgent attention, stressing that state-owned tertiary institution lecturers deserved the same benefits as their federal counterparts. (NAN)