By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University Branch, has asked Governor Agbu Kefas and the university authority to immediately meet its agreement with the union or face industrial action.
Dr Joshua Garba Mbave, the ASUU chairperson disclosed in a press statement released to journalists on Thursday in Jalingo.
He said that the Union’s patience with the state government, after months of negotiation, has been exhausted, and they have no option but to apply legitimate industrial actions available within the laws of the Nigerian labour system, if immediate action is not taken within a few days.
The statement described the Taraba state government’s persistent inaction and disregard for the binding agreement as a disturbing “Breach of Trust”, capable of disrupting the university academic calendar.
The statement read in parts. “Unless these issues are addressed immediately and decisively. The Union will have no alternative but to activate all legitimate industrial actions available within the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Anything less, is an invitation to a crisis entirely of the Government’s making”.
“Arising from a congress meeting held on 19th November 2025, the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Taraba State University Branch (ASUU-TSU), is compelled to alert the public, the media, civil society, and all stakeholders that the Government of Taraba State has continued to disregard binding agreements, ignore explicit directives from the Governor, neglect the welfare of academic staff, thereby jeopardizing the quality and sustainability of
University education in the State.
“Despite months of dialogue, repeated assurances, and
Multiple executive directives, the Government’s persistent inaction has now reached an unacceptable and alarming level.
“Considering the government’s action as “Disturbing Breach of Trust”, In a meeting held with the Executive Governor, Dr Agbu Kefas, in August 2025, the government expressly promised that all withheld salaries owed to TSU academic staff would be paid on or before December 2025. To date, nothing has been paid. This continued withholding of legitimate earnings is unjustifiable, inhumane, and a direct violation of agreements made in good faith.
“The accumulated Earned Academic Allowances owed to staff stands at ₦1.7 billion acknowledged by the Government. Despite several meetings, the government agreed to pay a mere ₦50 million, monthly, starting from February 2025, as part of July 2025. gradual defrayment plan. Shockingly, only one tranche of ₦50 million was released in July 2025.
“During another meeting in August 2025, the Governor directed the Commissioner of Finance, through the Ministry of Tertiary Education, to immediately produce and submit a concrete proposal for clearing the ₦1.7 billion EAA backlog.
“To the dismay of (ASUU-TSU), the directive was ignored. No proposal, no communication and no action. This demonstrates a disturbing pattern of official negligence, administrative sabotage, and disrespect for the office of the Governor and the future of the University.
“During the same August 2025 meeting, the Governor gave a direct order to the Head of Service to submit a memo on the establishment of a functional pension scheme for Taraba State University staff within the following week. Yet again, the directive was not carried out.
This means that: Thousands of staff have no pension security while giving out their most productive years.
“Retiring academics face uncertainty and hardship with this rising cost of living. The University operates without a legally required social protection system, which poses a serious danger to the long-term stability of TSU and paints the image of the University and state in a bad light.
“This level of neglect is unacceptable in any modern educational system. ASUU-TSU has exercised patience, professionalism, and restraint. The Union has repeatedly chosen dialogue over confrontation, but dialogue without sincerity has now been fully exhausted.
“The Union is left with no other choice than to consider all
Legitimate industrial actions are available within the laws of the Nigerian labour system. The responsibility for any resulting disruption rests squarely on the Government and on officials who have consistently refused to carry out clear and repeated directives.
“In the face of mounting frustration, broken promises, and repeated violations of agreements, ASUU-TSU will not stand idly by while staff welfare is eroded, agreements are ignored, and ASUU-TSU wishes to state unequivocally that the Union has reached the limits of patience and goodwill.
“The persistent withholding of salaries, refusal to clear the ₦1.7 billion Earned Academic Allowance backlog, and total neglect of the pension scheme despite explicit directives from the Governor, represent not only administrative failure but a deliberate abandonment of responsibility.
“No university system can function, let alone thrive, under such conditions. The future of ASUU-TSU will not stand idly by while staff welfare is eroded, agreements are ignored, and Taraba State University, its students, and its academic workforce are being placed at unnecessary risk by government officials who have chosen inaction over accountability and
silence over duty.
“The integrity of public university education is compromised. Unless these issues are addressed immediately and decisively, the Union will have no alternative but to activate all legitimate industrial actions available within the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria” The statement read.
