ASUU declares indefinite strike at Taraba State University over unpaid salaries

ASUU declares indefinite strike at Taraba State University over unpaid salaries

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has declared an indefinite strike at Taraba State University, TSU, accusing the Taraba State Government of failing to implement an agreed remuneration framework and pay outstanding salary arrears dating back to January.

ASUU-TSU Chairperson, Joshua Mbave, announced the strike in a statement, saying the union had exhausted its efforts to resolve the dispute through dialogue.

Mbave said the union had engaged the state government since February 2026 in an attempt to address the outstanding issues but had yet to secure the implementation of the agreed measures.

The industrial action took effect following months of negotiations, verification exercises and disagreements over the implementation of commitments made to the union.

Background to the dispute

The latest industrial action follows a series of disagreements over lecturers’ welfare, earned academic allowances and salary-related agreements.

In January 2025, ASUU-TSU suspended a strike after reaching an agreement with the state government to address outstanding obligations to academic staff.

Under the agreement, the government reportedly pledged to pay 50 million naira monthly from February 2025 towards settling accumulated Earned Academic Allowances, EAA.

However, Mbave alleged in August 2025 that the government had made only one payment, in July of that year.

The union also complained about unpaid salary arrears, outstanding academic allowances and the absence of a functional pension scheme for lecturers.

In February 2026, ASUU-TSU embarked on another indefinite strike over what it described as the government’s failure to honour previous commitments.

The strike was suspended in March after the government, university management and the union signed a memorandum of action aimed at resolving the dispute.

The latest disagreement centres on implementing the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU remuneration agreement at the university and settling salary arrears accumulated since January.

Verification exercises fail to resolve dispute

Mbave said negotiations initiated in February led to the establishment of a verification committee to examine the existing salary structure and assess implementation of the remuneration agreement across the North-East.

According to him, the committee completed its assignment and submitted its report on September 24.

He added that a tripartite committee had also assessed the financial implications of implementing the agreed salary structure and calculating the accumulated arrears.

Despite the completion of these exercises, the union said the government had yet to implement the agreement, prompting the latest strike.

Mbave said the government had earlier requested additional time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service to resolve the dispute.

The union accepted the extension in the interest of industrial harmony but later opposed the establishment of another committee to review remuneration and workforce planning in state tertiary institutions.

In statements reported by newspapers in early October, ASUU argued that the additional committee was unnecessary because verification, consultation and financial assessment processes had already been completed.

The union also claimed that Taraba State University was the only university among the 19 northern states yet to implement the agreed remuneration framework. This claim has not been independently verified.

Government establishes new committee

The Taraba State Government approved the establishment of a Tertiary Institutions’ Staff Remuneration and Workforce Planning Committee on September 30.

The committee is expected to review staff remuneration and workforce planning across the state’s tertiary institutions, with participation from relevant ministries, governing councils and staff unions, including ASUU.

The government said the initiative was intended to promote quality tertiary education, fair treatment of personnel, responsible public financial management and the orderly development of higher education in the state.

However, the announcement did not explain why another review was considered necessary after the verification and financial assessment exercises cited by the union.

The status of the committee reports, the total outstanding salary arrears and the government’s timeline for implementing the remuneration agreement remain unresolved issues in the dispute.

Union remains open to negotiations

Despite declaring an indefinite strike, ASUU-TSU said it remained willing to negotiate with the state government and other relevant stakeholders.

The union, however, insisted that any further engagement must be sincere, timely and directed towards a definite resolution.

It called on the government to implement the agreed remuneration framework, pay outstanding salary arrears and fulfil commitments made during previous negotiations.

ASUU said its demands were aimed at ensuring fairness, protecting the dignity of university workers and upholding agreements reached in good faith.

The strike is expected to disrupt academic activities at the university, following the earlier industrial action in 2026.

Its duration will depend on the progress of negotiations and the steps taken by the state government to address the union’s demands.