ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike at Taraba State University Over Unmet Agreements

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Taraba State University (TSU) has issued a fresh warning to the Taraba State Government, threatening to resume its previously suspended strike over the alleged violation of a Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed earlier this year.

During a press conference held Tuesday in Jalingo, ASUU-TSU Chairman Dr. Joshua Mbave Garba accused the administration of Governor Agbu Kefas of failing to honor commitments made in the agreement signed on January 17, 2025.

“Despite enduring extreme hardship, showing commendable restraint, and maintaining our dedication to academic progress, our patience has been repeatedly tested,” Dr. Mbave stated.

One of the core agreements, Dr. Mbave explained, was the monthly disbursement of ₦50 million starting in February 2025 for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). To date, not a single payment has been made.

“This continued breach of trust and failure of commitment is a deliberate provocation that undermines the industrial peace we have maintained,” he added.

Beyond the unpaid allowances, the union criticized:

• Chronic underfunding of the university, which ASUU says violates legal standards

• The state’s failure to implement an operational pension scheme for academic staff

• Lack of transparency or timelines in the government’s responses, which the union called “bureaucratic formalities and empty promises”

Dr. Mbave also noted that a stakeholders’ meeting promised for early February to address unpaid salary arrears never held.

ASUU’s two-week ultimatum, issued earlier in July, expired on July 31 with no official response from the government.

“This silence is deafening and unacceptable. It sends a dangerous signal that agreements with ASUU are not binding and that the academic workforce is disposable,” Mbave said.

Dr. Mbave announced that if the government does not act immediately to address the union’s demands, ASUU would resume its previously suspended strike.

While acknowledging the government's push to increase access to education, including the adoption of a free education policy, the union insisted that staff welfare cannot be overlooked.

“We are not saboteurs or enemies of progress. We are nation builders and custodians of knowledge. But we cannot continue to function in an environment where our welfare is neglected, our rights trampled upon, and our voices ignored,” he said.