Lecturers at Taraba State University (TSU), Jalingo, began a total and indefinite strike on Monday, October 12, 2026, after the Taraba State Government failed to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU remuneration agreement within a two-week extension it had asked for. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) TSU branch announced the action in a statement issued in Jalingo by its chairman, Dr Joshua Garba Mbave, and said it took effect immediately.
For TSU students, that means lectures, and any tests or exams lecturers would normally run, are off until the union says otherwise. It’s the second time this year the university has been shut by ASUU, after a month-long strike that started in February, and it comes just days after Lagos ended a similar dispute by approving new allowances for lecturers at its three state universities.
Two demands sit at the centre of the Taraba State University strike
The union wants the state to implement the 2025 FGN-ASUU remuneration agreement at TSU straight away, and to pay all salary arrears that have built up since January 2026, until the agreed salary structure is fully in place. Neither demand is new. ASUU-TSU says it has been negotiating with the state since February, and a verification committee set up to assess the salary structure and how far it had been implemented submitted its report on September 24, 2026.
According to the union, that committee found other universities in the North-East had already implemented the new salary scale in full, which is part of why lecturers feel TSU has been left behind. After the report came in, the government asked for more time through the Office of the Head of Civil Service, and the branch suspended its planned strike to allow it. The union says the delay continued after that window closed, so its congress voted to down tools.
- ASUU-TSU begins earlier strikeOver unpaid backlogs
- Strike suspended after ₦500m interventionAgreement with Taraba government
- First 14-day ultimatum to the governor
- Verification committee submits report
- Second 14-day ultimatum expiresUnion then grants a two-week extension
- Total, indefinite strike beginsTakes effect immediately
Dates are from ASUU-TSU statements as reported. Check the university's official channels for any change to the academic calendar.
Why ASUU ran out of patience after two ultimatums
The branch first gave Governor Agbu Kefas a 14-day ultimatum on August 13, then held off when it expired because a combined convocation ceremony was scheduled within that period. A second 14-day notice ran from September 14 to September 28, and at an emergency meeting members agreed to give the government a further two weeks after the national ASUU leadership asked the branch to consider it. At the time, Mbave said meeting the demands would bring “industrial harmony and ensure an uninterrupted academic calendar”, and warned that the union would strike if the extension passed without action.
The earlier strike this year ended on March 18 after the state released ₦500 million to settle part of the backlog owed to staff, with ASUU and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) signing an agreement with the government. That partial payment didn’t address the new salary structure, which is now the main sticking point.
ASUU-TSU wishes to emphasise that this action is not a rejection of dialogue.
The union added that any engagement “must be sincere, timely and directed towards achieving a definite resolution”, and urged the state to respect the processes already concluded, implement the remuneration framework and clear the arrears. The Taraba State Government had not publicly responded to the strike notice at the time of writing.
What Lagos did differently, and what TSU students should do now
The contrast with Lagos is hard to miss. ASUU branches at LASU, LASUED and LASUSTECH suspended their strike last Friday after the state approved new academic allowances backdated to January 2026, with arrears to be paid in two instalments. A similar move by Taraba, even a firm payment timetable, is the most likely route to getting TSU lecturers back, but nothing of that kind has been announced yet. State-owned universities elsewhere have been through the same cycle this year, including the Ondo strike that ended in late September.
If you’re a TSU student, don’t rely on rumours about a quick resumption. Watch the official Taraba State University website, your faculty notice boards and your department’s official groups for any change to the academic calendar, since lost weeks usually push exams back. If you’re applying for a student loan this session, the NELFUND 2026/2027 window runs until December 31, and the strike doesn’t stop you from completing your application, so it’s worth getting your details in order while classes are on hold.
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