The union says salary comparisons with other state universities contradict claims by aides of Governor Agbu Kefas, and demands full implementation of the 2025 FG-ASUU agreement.
By Godwin Agia, Jalingo
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University (TSU) chapter, has disputed claims by aides of Governor Agbu Kefas that the institution is the highest-paying university in Nigeria.
The union described the claim as false and misleading, insisting that available salary records and a state government fact-finding report contradict the assertion.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, ASUU-TSU Chairman, Dr Joshua Garba Mbave, expressed concern over a podcast circulated on social media in which the claim was made.
Mbave said the figures contained in the state government’s report, alongside salary structures of other universities, showed that academic staff in several institutions earned more than their counterparts at TSU.
He cited a report titled “Report on the Implementation of Consolidated Academic/Teaching Allowance (CATA) and Consolidated Non-Teaching Allowance (CONTTA),” which covered Gombe State University, Sa’adu Zungur University in Bauchi State, Yobe State University and Adamawa State University.
According to him, the report was presented to the union on September 24, 2026, and established that the institutions covered had fully implemented the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
Mbave argued that the implementation had placed academic staff in those universities in a better salary position than their colleagues at Taraba State University.
To support its position, the union provided comparative salary figures for academic staff at TSU and other institutions.
According to the figures released by ASUU-TSU, a Graduate Assistant on CONUASS 01 at TSU earns N237,331.33, compared with N559,577.49 for the same rank at Rivers State University.
The union also stated that a professor on CONUASS 07, Step 10, at TSU earns N1,002,801.94, while a colleague of the same rank at Rivers State University earns N3,355,231.10.
At Delta State University, Abraka, a Graduate Assistant reportedly earns N503,574, while a professor on CONUASS 07, Step 10, earns N1,667,280, according to the figures provided by the union.
Mbave further claimed that Benue State University also pays its academic staff more than Taraba State University.
The ASUU-TSU chairman said staff members of the institution had made sacrifices in the interest of industrial harmony, despite what he described as the failure to implement some wage adjustments and settle outstanding arrears.
He specifically alleged that the 30 per cent National Minimum Wage adjustment and the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards had not been implemented at TSU, with no arrears paid to affected staff.
The union also cited Bauchi State as an example of a state that implemented the wage adjustments and CATA without setting up committees to handle the process.
ASUU-TSU urged the public to disregard what it described as misleading claims about the university’s salary structure.
The union called on the Taraba State Government to fully implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement and pay all outstanding arrears owed to university staff.
The claims and salary comparisons were presented by the union; independent verification of the figures and a response from the state government were not included in the statement provided.
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