Taraba varsity ASUU begins indefinite strike over arrears

JALINGO — Academic activities at Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo, have been disrupted following the declaration of an indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over the state government’s alleged failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU remuneration framework.

The strike, which took effect on Monday, October 12, 2026, followed the expiration of a two-week grace period granted to the administration of Governor Agbu Kefas to meet the union’s demands.

The ASUU-TSU Branch Chairman, Dr Joshua Garba Mbave, announced the industrial action in a statement issued in Jalingo, saying the union’s congress decided to down tools after exhausting avenues for dialogue, appeals and extensions.

Mbave said the strike was driven by two major demands: immediate implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU remuneration agreement at the university and payment of all outstanding salary arrears from January 2026.

He said the union had exercised restraint since February 2026 while engaging the state government on the matter.

According to him, the engagement led to the constitution of a verification committee to assess the existing salary structure and the level of implementation across universities in the North-East.

The union chairman said the committee’s findings indicated that other universities in the region had achieved full implementation of the salary scale.

He added that the tripartite committee submitted its report, detailing the financial implications of the implementation, on September 24.

Mbave further said the state government failed to fulfil its commitment despite an appeal from the Office of the Head of Service seeking an additional 14 days to address the matter.

“The Union wishes to state that it has demonstrated considerable patience, responsibility and commitment to dialogue throughout this process,” the statement said.

It added that the continued delay in implementing the agreement, despite the completion of the verification process, had compelled the union to commence the strike.

ASUU-TSU, however, said the industrial action did not amount to a rejection of dialogue, expressing its readiness to engage the state government and other relevant stakeholders.

“Such engagement, however, must be sincere, timely and directed towards achieving a definite resolution,” the union said.

It urged the Taraba State Government to respect the processes already concluded and take immediate steps to implement the remuneration framework and settle outstanding salary arrears.

The union also appealed to the public to understand its position, describing the dispute as a struggle for fairness, the dignity of university workers and respect for agreements reached in good faith.