TSU ASUU chapter threatens strike over broken agreement
Story by Susan Mbamah
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapter at Taraba State University (TSU) has warned of a new strike, accusing the state government of deliberately violating a Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed in January 2025.
At a press conference in Jalingo on Tuesday, ASUU Chairman Dr. Joshua Mbave Garba stated that Governor Agbu Kefas’s administration failed to follow through on key parts of the agreement. Specifically, the state has not disbursed the agreed-upon ₦50 million monthly for Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), which was scheduled to begin in February.
“To date, not a single kobo has been paid,” Garba said. “Despite enduring extreme hardship, showing commendable restraint, and maintaining our dedication to academic progress, our patience has been repeatedly tested.”
The union chairman described the breach as a deliberate provocation, which threatens the industrial peace the university has maintained since the last strike was suspended in February.
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ASUU also condemned the “chronic underfunding” of the university and the government’s alleged failure to establish a functional pension scheme for its staff.
Garba stated, “What the government has offered so far amounts to bureaucratic formalities and empty promises, with no financial commitment or clear timeline for implementation.”
He also noted that a two-week ultimatum the union issued, which expired on July 31, was ignored by 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,” Garba said.
While commending the governor’s efforts to expand access to education, ASUU stressed that the welfare of its members cannot be ignored. The union has resolved to resume its strike if the government does not urgently address these issues.
READ ALSO: #EndASUUStrike: Need to pay salaries of striking university workers, by Prof. MK Othman
“We are not saboteurs or enemies of progress. We are nation builders and custodians of knowledge,” the ASUU chairman added.
“But we cannot continue to function in an environment where our welfare is neglected, our rights trampled upon, and our voices ignored.”
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