JALINGO — The Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has expressed concern over what it described as delays in the fulfillment of commitments made by the Taraba State Government to its members.
The union said promises relating to pension enrolment, settlement of salary arrears and payment of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA) remain outstanding several months after agreements were reached.
Speaking to journalists after a congress of the union on Tuesday, the Chairperson of TSU-ASUU, Dr Garba Mbave, said members were becoming increasingly concerned about the pace of implementation of the agreements reached following the suspension of the union’s strike action in January 2025.
According to him, the strike, which was suspended on January 17, 2025, followed negotiations in which the state government agreed, among other measures, to make monthly payments of ₦50 million beginning from February 2025 to address some of the union’s demands.
Dr Mbave stated that, so far, only one payment was made in July 2025, adding that the union had expected the payments to be consistent, as earlier agreed.
He further recalled that in August 2025, the Governor of Taraba State directed that outstanding Earned Academic Allowances and salary backlogs be cleared before December 2025. However, he noted that as of January 2026, the union had yet to see the full implementation of that directive.
The ASUU chairperson also expressed concern over the absence of a pension scheme for academic staff of the institution, stating that the issue had remained unresolved despite repeated engagements with relevant government offices.
He added that the union had written several letters to the offices of the Executive Governor, the Head of Service and the Ministry of Tertiary Education seeking clarification and progress on the issues, but had not received formal responses.
Dr Mbave called on the state government to take concrete steps toward addressing the outstanding issues, noting that timely resolution would help improve staff welfare and promote stability in the university system.
He also appealed to stakeholders and members of the public to support efforts aimed at ensuring improved funding and sustainable development of tertiary education in Taraba State.
