The Management of Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, has dismissed claims by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the review of the University's Conditions of Service and other governing documents was carried out through an illegal process, describing the allegations as baseless, misleading, and a distortion of facts.

In a statement signed by the Head of the Information and Public Affairs Unit, Abdullahi Datti Abdullahi, the University said the review followed due process and was undertaken with the participation of representatives of all the Institution's in house unions. According to the release, the exercise was initiated about five years ago by the 4th Governing Council, continued under the 5th Council, and concluded by the current 6th Governing Council after identifying inconsistencies in the existing documents and receiving requests for their review.

The management insisted that ASUU was represented on the review committee but its representative automatically ceased to be a member after proceeding on sabbatical leave, in line with University regulations. It alleged that repeated requests for the union to nominate a replacement were ignored, adding that the representative was later reinstated following a reconsideration of the matter. ASUU, the statement claimed, subsequently directed its members not to sign the committee's final report, a decision the University described as contrary to established regulations.

The committee's report was later subjected to a comprehensive review during a three day retreat of the Governing Council in Kaduna, where further amendments were made before the revised documents received final approval.

"Among the major concessions approved by the Council is a significant reduction in the proportion of publication points required from Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals for academic promotions," the Management stated. "Under the revised provisions, only 2.5% of the total publication points are required for promotion to Associate Professor, while 5% is required for promotion to Professor."

The Management further revealed that ASUU boycotted a sensitisation meeting organised to explain the reviewed documents to staff and labour unions, opting instead to convene its own congress to criticise the exercise. While most of the reviewed documents took effect in October 2026, implementation of provisions affecting academic staff was deferred until 2027 under a transitional moratorium.

Copies of the reviewed documents have been forwarded to the State Ministry of Education, the Office of the Head of Service, and the Office of the Secretary to the State Government. The Management noted that despite rejecting the reviewed Conditions of Service, ASUU accepted the enhanced financial benefits contained in the document and urged members of the public to disregard what it called misinformation circulated by the union.