By Godwin Agia, Jalingo
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University (TSU) branch, has rejected its inclusion in a newly constituted committee by the Taraba State Government to review the remuneration and workforce of tertiary institution employees.
The union described the committee as unnecessary, insisting that the state government should instead proceed with the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU remuneration agreement.
Speaking at a press conference in Jalingo on Friday, ASUU-TSU Chairperson, Dr Garba Mbave Joshua, said the creation of another committee could further delay the implementation of a process that had already undergone verification, consultation and financial assessment.
Joshua stressed that the union’s position should not be interpreted as a rejection of dialogue, saying ASUU-TSU remained committed to constructive engagement and peaceful resolution of industrial disputes.
According to him, the union has been engaging the Taraba State Government over the implementation of the 2025 FG-ASUU Agreement since February 2026 and formally presented its demands to the Governing Council of Taraba State University on March 17.
He said that on the same date, the representative of the National Universities Commission (NUC) on the university’s Governing Council submitted an NUC cover letter and the applicable salary table circulated to visitors of state universities for implementation of the remuneration framework.
Joshua explained that the state government subsequently constituted a verification committee, which visited tertiary institutions across the six North-East states to assess their salary structures.
He said the committee presented its findings on September 22 at a meeting convened by the Ministry of Tertiary Education and the Office of the Head of Service.
According to the union, the verification exercise established that the remuneration framework had been fully implemented in the institutions visited.
Joshua added that a tripartite committee was subsequently established to calculate the financial implications of implementing the agreement, including accumulated arrears. The committee submitted its report on September 24.
He said the government, during a meeting on the same day, appealed to the union to suspend its planned industrial action and requested an additional two weeks to resolve the outstanding issues.
ASUU-TSU Congress subsequently granted the request on September 29 in what Joshua described as a demonstration of the union’s commitment to industrial harmony.
He said Taraba State University was the only institution among those that had secured approval for industrial action that did not proceed with a strike because the union respected the government’s appeal.
“The union considers this development, at this stage of the process, to be unnecessary, unwarranted and inconsistent with the extensive verification, consultation, negotiation, computation and reporting processes already undertaken by the relevant organs and representatives of government and the union,” Joshua said.
He maintained that ASUU-TSU’s objection arose from what the union described as prolonged delays, repeated consultations and assurances without corresponding implementation.
“Our position must not, under any circumstance, be misconstrued as a rejection of dialogue or lawful engagement with government,” he said.
“On the contrary, ASUU-TSU has consistently demonstrated its commitment to constructive dialogue, peaceful resolution of disputes and the preservation of industrial harmony.”
The union therefore urged the Taraba State Government to act on the reports and agreements already reached rather than initiate another review process.
ASUU-TSU also called for the immediate implementation of the agreed remuneration framework and settlement of applicable arrears, arguing that further delays could undermine the industrial peace maintained at the university.
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