Taraba: ASUU threatens fresh strike

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University (TSU) chapter, has threatened to resume its suspended strike over the state government’s alleged failure to implement key agreements.

Speaking at a press conference in Jalingo on Tuesday, ASUU Chairman Dr. Joshua Mbave Garba accused Governor Agbu Kefas’ administration of breaching the Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed on January 17, 2025. That agreement led to the suspension of a strike in February.

A central term of the MoA, Dr. Mbave said, was the monthly release of ₦50 million from February 2025 for the payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA). He lamented that no such payment has been made to date.

“Despite enduring hardship and remaining committed to academic duties, our patience has been stretched to the limit,” he stated. “This ongoing neglect is a deliberate provocation.”

The union also decried chronic underfunding of the university, a lack of concrete action on a promised pension scheme, and the state’s failure to hold a stakeholders’ meeting originally slated for early February to address salary arrears.

ASUU noted that a two-week ultimatum issued in July expired without any government response.

“This silence is unacceptable and suggests that agreements with ASUU mean nothing,” Dr. Mbave warned.

The union resolved to resume its strike if the government fails to urgently address the outstanding issues. While commending Governor Kefas’ free education policy, ASUU emphasized that staff welfare must not be ignored.

“We are not enemies of progress,” Dr. Mbave added. “But we cannot continue working in an environment where our welfare is neglected and our voices ignored.”