The striking lecturers of the Taraba State University (TSU) who embarked on indefinite strike on Thursday have given the state government the conditions that would convince them to return to classes.
Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University chapter, Comr. Joshua Mbave listed the conditions while speaking to LEADERSHIP in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital on Friday.
Prior to embarking on the strike, the academic staff had accused the state government of not including them in the newly implemented N70,000 minimum wage in the state which payments commenced in the month of November 2024.
The also listed nonpayment of salary arrears and academic earned allowance, non-existence of the University Council to implement promotion for lecturers and non-implementation of pension scheme for the university workers as well as breakdown of talks over their demands.
Although, Taraba State governor, Agbu Kefas had through his Adviser on Media and Digital Communications, Hon Emmanuel Bello urged the lectures to return to classes to pave ways for further negotiations over their demands.
“Taraba State helmsman, Dr. Agbu Kefas has called on striking lecturers of the Taraba State University (TSU) to sheathe their swords and return to the negotiations table,” Bello stated.
However, the chapter ASUU chairman, Mbave while speaking to our correspondent on Friday, insisted that no lecturer from the university is ready to resume academic activities until all the standing issues placed before the state government are resolved.
“We are being hated to have engaged ourselves as lecturers at TSU. This institution was established in 2022, up till now, there is no pension scheme for our lecturers, the government is owing us several months of salary arrears and earned academic allowances, there is no Council to harmonise our promotions as lecturers.
“As we announced the strike yesterday (Thursday), we were invited by the state’s Commissioner for Education. When we got to her office, it was rather a threat that we received, she told us the governor directed that we should choose to return to work immediately and he would engage us on coming Tuesday or remain on strike forever.
“Since it was two options, we told her we have chosen to remain on strike and that is our stand. No resumption till our demands are met,” Mbave stated.
Meanwhile, the students of the institution who were already in the midst of their semester examination before the indefinite strike action pleaded with the Governor Kefas to speed up negotiations with the lecturers to end the strike action to further their academic activities.
