The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Taraba State University, TSU, department, has questioned the capacity of the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Mike Dio Jen, to successfully handle the commercial dispute between the union and the Taraba State authorities.
The union expressed concern over the commissioner’s latest description of its ongoing strike as unconstitutional and unlawful, describing the remarks as disheartening, deceptive and a sign of his incapability to discharge his tasks because the principal authorities consultant within the dispute.
In an announcement signed on Friday by its chairman, Dr. Joshua Garba Mbave, ASUU-TSU accused the commissioner of misrepresenting the circumstances surrounding the commercial motion and making an attempt to strain the union into abandoning its professional calls for.
“The National Executive Council, NEC, of ASUU, at its meeting held in Abuja on August 8 and 9, 2026, directed branches yet to secure the implementation of the 2025 Agreement to embark on appropriate industrial action”, Mbave mentioned.
It maintained that the strike was neither a unilateral determination by the TSU department nor an motion taken exterior the established constructions and directives of the union.
ASUU-TSU additional disclosed that following successive ultimatums, a number of conferences had been held with related authorities authorities in an effort to resolve the dispute by means of dialogue and stop an escalation of the disaster.
The union mentioned a report of the engagements was subsequently submitted for onward presentation to Governor Agbu Kefas for consideration and approval, however regretted that the commitments made throughout the negotiations had not translated into concrete motion.
“It is, accordingly, incomprehensible that an official who was fully apprised of the sequence of events, the Union’s resolutions and the commitments made during the negotiations should now publicly describe the Union’s action as unconstitutional and illegal,” the assertion learn.
The union argued that the commissioner’s conduct raised severe questions about his capacity to handle the dispute, including that he couldn’t take part in negotiations, fail to safe the mandatory authorities intervention and subsequently painting the union as an impediment to industrial concord.
Meanwhile, ASUU-TSU counseled Governor Agbu Kefas for what it described as constructive interventions by his administration in direction of addressing the welfare issues of educational employees and sustaining stability on the college.
The union significantly acknowledged the governor’s go to to the establishment and his assurance that excellent entitlements can be paid consistent with these of educational employees in different universities.
It additionally listed the graduation of pension funds to retired tutorial employees, sustained fee of month-to-month salaries, the discharge of N100 million month-to-month in direction of the liquidation of amassed Earned Academic Allowance, EAA, and the mainstreaming of EAA into the month-to-month wage construction of educational employees among the many administration’s achievements.
“The measures demonstrate that constructive engagement can produce meaningful results when supported by the necessary political will,” the assertion mentioned.
It urged the governor to maintain the interventions till all excellent obligations had been absolutely settled.
ASUU-TSU reaffirmed its willingness to have interaction in constructive dialogue, expressing confidence that the excellent points could possibly be resolved by means of the collective dedication of all events.
The union, nevertheless, known as on the state authorities to guarantee the complete implementation of the 2025 Agreement and fee of all accrued arrears, describing these because the surest technique of restoring industrial concord and regular tutorial actions at Taraba State University.
