The industrial action took effect on Monday, October 12, 2026, following months of discussions between the union and the Taraba State Government without a resolution of the dispute.

ASUU-TSU Chairman, Dr Joshua Garba Mbave, announced the strike in a statement, identifying two major demands: immediate implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU remuneration agreement at the university and payment of salary arrears accumulated from January 2026 until the agreed salary structure is fully implemented.

Mbave said the union had pursued dialogue with the government since February in an effort to resolve the disagreement and avoid disrupting academic activities. However, he said the continued delay in implementing the agreement left the union with no option but to embark on the strike.

According to the union, negotiations led to the establishment of a verification committee to examine the existing salary structure and assess the implementation of the agreed remuneration framework across universities in the North-East.

The committee reportedly completed its assignment and submitted its report on September 24, 2026. A separate tripartite committee also assessed the financial implications of implementing the salary structure and calculating the outstanding arrears, the union said.

ASUU-TSU maintained that these processes had already addressed the issues requiring verification and financial assessment. It expressed dissatisfaction that implementation had yet to follow the completion of the exercises.

The union also said it had previously agreed to give the state government additional time to resolve the dispute after officials appealed for an extension through the Office of the Head of Civil Service. However, it said the extension did not produce the expected outcome.

The disagreement has been further complicated by the state government’s establishment of a Tertiary Institutions’ Staff Remuneration and Workforce Planning Committee on September 30. The committee is expected to review remuneration and workforce planning across Taraba State’s tertiary institutions, with representatives from relevant ministries, governing councils and staff unions.

ASUU-TSU had earlier criticised the creation of another committee, arguing that verification, consultation and financial assessment had already been completed. The union believes the government should focus on implementing the existing agreement rather than beginning another review process.

The government, meanwhile, has presented the new committee as part of efforts to promote quality tertiary education, fair treatment of personnel, responsible management of public finances and orderly development of the state’s higher education sector.

The competing positions have left the status of the earlier committee reports, the implementation timeline and the precise amount of outstanding salary arrears as key issues in the dispute.

The strike follows another period of industrial action at the university earlier in 2026. In March, the union suspended its previous strike after reaching an understanding with the state government and university management on steps to address outstanding matters.

The latest action now threatens to disrupt lectures and other academic activities at the institution until the dispute is resolved.

Despite declaring an indefinite strike, ASUU-TSU said it remained open to negotiations with the government and other relevant stakeholders. It stressed, however, that further discussions must be meaningful, timely and directed towards a clear resolution.

The union urged the state government to implement the agreed remuneration framework and settle the outstanding arrears, arguing that the dispute concerns fair treatment of academic staff and respect for agreements reached during negotiations.

The duration of the strike will depend on whether the parties can reach an agreement and how quickly the government addresses the union’s demands.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia