The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Taraba State University, TSU, has issued a fresh warning to the state government, threatening to resume a previously suspended strike over the alleged breach of a Memorandum of Action, MoA, signed earlier this year.
At a press conference which took place in Jalingo, the state capital on Tuesday, ASUU Chairman, Dr. Joshua Mbave Garba, accused Governor Agbu Kefas administration of failing to implement the terms of the MoA signed on January 17, 2025, an agreement that led to the suspension of the union’s strike in February.
The agreement, he said, included the monthly disbursement of N50 million beginning in February 2025 for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA).
However, Dr. Mbave revealed that no payment has been made to date.
“Despite enduring extreme hardship, showing commendable restraint, and maintaining our dedication to academic progress, our patience has been repeatedly tested.
“This continued breach of trust and failure of commitment is a deliberate provocation that undermines the industrial peace we have maintained,” he stated.
The union further lamented the chronic underfunding of the university, describing it as a violation of the institution’s enabling law.
It also criticised the state government’s alleged failure to honour its commitment to establishing a functional pension scheme for academic staff.
According to him, what the government had offered so far amounts to “bureaucratic formalities and empty promises,” without a clear financial commitment or implementation timeline.
He also expressed disappointment over the state government’s failure to convene a stakeholders’ meeting scheduled for early February to discuss a roadmap for clearing outstanding salary arrears.
He noted that a two-week ultimatum issued by the union, which expired on July 31, received no response.
“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,” he added.
Following deliberations, the union, as announced by him, had resolved to resume its suspended strike if the government failed to urgently address the unresolved issues.
While acknowledging governor Kefas’ efforts in promoting access to education particularly through the implementation of a free education policy, ASUU insisted that staff welfare must not be sidelined.
“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”, Mbave said.
