The Gombe State University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has embarked on a total and indefinite strike, citing unmet demands that have long plagued the institution.
The decision was announced following a congress meeting held on Wednesday, marking the first internal strike since the university’s establishment.
Among the union’s key grievances is the non-implementation of a 2021 Memorandum of Action (MOA), which outlined a series of financial improvements meant to address the institution’s funding challenges. The unresolved issues include unpaid academic allowances, a lack of training funds for academic staff, failure to adjust salaries to reflect the new minimum wage, and the non-payment of promotional arrears dating from 2020 to 2023.
Despite previous agreements to increase funding, lecturers allege that the government only provided additional financial support for two months in 2021. The chronic underfunding has also forced the university to impose extra fees on students, further exacerbating the financial strain.
Efforts to resolve these issues through dialogue with prominent figures in the state have so far proved unsuccessful, leaving the union with no other recourse but to strike.
In a statement, the union expressed frustration over the prolonged challenges. “Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Gombe State University branch, have endured deteriorating working conditions for far too long due to inadequate funding, non-implementation of the 2021 MOA, and the refusal to adopt the current salary structure for academic staff in Nigerian universities,” the statement read.
The union emphasized that despite their attempts to seek amicable solutions through the intervention of influential state figures, no meaningful progress has been made.
