Fellow Nurses Africa | Lagos, Nigeria | 19 August, 2025

The Kaduna State College of Nursing Sciences is on the brink of a complete shutdown as the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) threatens to close all operations if management fails to address delayed staff promotions spanning three years.
Three Years of Stalled Promotions Trigger Crisis
Staff promotions that were due in 2023, 2024, and 2025 remain unprocessed, creating what union leaders describe as “undue hardship” for affected academic and non-academic staff members. The prolonged delay has now reached a breaking point, with workers expressing “deep disappointment and frustration” over management’s inaction.
Dr. Daniel Abba Danboyi, Chairman of ASUP’s Kaduna State College of Nursing Sciences Chapter, revealed that the Joint Congress of Academic and Non-Academic Staff Members held on August 11th, 2025, resolved that the promotion delays were “unacceptable” and had caused significant distress to staff whose career advancement has been stalled for years.
Complete Shutdown Threatened After Warning Strike
The union has issued a stark ultimatum: process all outstanding promotions within four working days or face a total institutional shutdown. This threat comes as staff across the college’s three campuses in Kaduna, Kafanchan, and Pambegua began a three-day warning strike on Monday.
“If the issue remains unresolved after the 4-day warning strike, the Congress will have no option but to shut down the school completely,” the union stated in an official circular dated August 11th, 2025. The warning represents an escalation from the current strike action that has already disrupted academic activities.
Years of Career Stagnation Impact Staff Morale
The promotion crisis has left numerous staff members in professional limbo, unable to advance their careers or receive corresponding salary increases despite meeting qualification requirements. Sources indicate that the delayed promotions affect both teaching and administrative personnel across all three campuses.
The systematic nature of the delays – spanning three consecutive years – suggests institutional rather than procedural challenges, raising questions about the college’s human resource management and budget allocation for staff development.

High-Level Intervention Sought
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, ASUP has escalated the matter beyond college management, sending copies of their ultimatum to key state officials including the Honorable Commissioner of Health, the Secretary to the State Government of Kaduna State, and the Department of State Services.
This multi-level approach indicates the union’s determination to ensure their demands are addressed at the highest levels of state government, particularly given the college’s critical role in training healthcare professionals.
Stakes High for Healthcare Education
A complete shutdown of the Kaduna State College of Nursing Sciences would have far-reaching implications for healthcare education in the region. The institution serves as a primary training ground for nursing professionals, and any prolonged closure could disrupt the pipeline of qualified healthcare workers in Kaduna State.
The college offers National Diploma (ND) nursing programs and other healthcare-related courses, making its continued operation essential for meeting the state’s healthcare workforce needs.
Management Under Pressure
With the four-day ultimatum running concurrently with the current warning strike, college management faces intense pressure to resolve the three-year backlog of promotions quickly. The union has made it clear that failure to act within the specified timeframe will result in indefinite closure of all three campuses.
The situation represents a critical test of the institution’s commitment to staff welfare and its ability to maintain stable operations in the face of mounting internal pressure.
This is a developing story. Updates will follow as the situation evolves.
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