Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, formerly the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, has declared a total and comprehensive strike with immediate effect over the university’s failure to pay outstanding salaries and allowances owed to its members. The decision, announced by the union’s chairperson, Comrade Terseer Abari, on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, follows a congress held at the university’s Science Lecture Theatre, South Core, where lecturers resolved to activate the “No-Pay-No-Work” provision in line with the resolution of ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of August 8–9, 2026.
Abari, in a statement made available to newsmen in Makurdi, said the university authority had failed to fully implement the 2025 Federal Government–ASUU agreement, which contains four salary components for academic staff. According to the union, only two components – the Consolidated Academic Staff Salaries (CONUASS) and the Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) – have been fully paid. The remaining two components – the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) and the Professorial Allowance (PA) – were only paid for January and February 2026, while only 39 per cent of the CATA for March 2026 has been paid. Abari described the situation as “underpayment of salaries of members of ASUU”.
The strike, tagged “No-Pay-No-Work”, means there will be no teaching, student supervision, examinations, statutory meetings or any other academic activity until the university pays all outstanding salaries owed to its members. Abari said the congress resolved to activate the strike provision following the NEC resolution, which mandated branches of ASUU in federal universities, including universities of agriculture, to take action whenever salaries were underpaid. He noted that the university had underpaid its academic staff from March to July 2026, despite the continued directive from the Minister of Education for universities to implement the FGN–ASUU agreement with effect from January 1, 2026.
Abari appealed to the public to prevail on the appropriate authorities to pay all outstanding salaries of ASUU-FUAM members to allow academic activities to resume. The union’s statement read in part: “From the foregoing, congress of ASUU-FUAM at a congress held on 12th August, 2026 at Science Lecture Theatre, South Core, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, resolved to activate the provision in the NEC resolution of 8th–9th August to embark on a total and comprehensive strike beginning immediately”.
The strike at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University comes amid growing tensions between ASUU and government authorities, with similar industrial actions threatening to erupt in other universities across Nigeria. The university, formerly known as the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, is located in Benue State. As the strike takes effect, students and academic activities at the institution have been brought to a halt, leaving thousands of students uncertain about the fate of their academic year. The union has made its position clear: until all outstanding salary components are fully paid, the strike will remain in force.
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