The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU chapter at Taraba State University declared a total and indefinite strike on Monday over unfulfilled government pledges regarding worker compensation and back pay.
Lecturers shut down academic activities with immediate effect on October 12, 2026, pointing to prolonged delays by the state administration in meeting its financial obligations to campus personnel.
ASUU-TSU Chairman Dr. Joshua Garba Mbave issued an official statement outlining the union’s core demands, chief among them being the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU remuneration deal alongside the settlement of outstanding salary arrears.
The union is pressing for the prompt application of the updated pay structure across the institution, as well as the immediate release of all withheld wages accumulated from January 2026 to date.
Academic staff members insist that the state leadership must honor its formal commitments to safeguard the livelihood and welfare of university workers.
“The union had exercised considerable patience and demonstrated its commitment to dialogue since February 2026, when it began engaging the Taraba State Government over the outstanding issues,” Mbave said.
These initial discussions led to the formation of a joint verification committee assigned to review current pay scales and benchmark regional implementation levels across the North-East.
Although the committee concluded its assignment and delivered its final report on September 24, 2026, implementation has remained stalled.
“The union had earlier suspended its planned industrial action following an appeal by the government for additional time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, in the interest of maintaining industrial harmony,” the chairman added.
Despite pausing the strike, continuous inaction following the verification process forced the chapter’s leadership to officially down tools as a last resort.
