By Faith Eze
Lecturers Down Tools as ASUU Declares Indefinite Strike at JOSTUM
Academic activities at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi (JOSTUM), formerly known as the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, have come to a complete halt following a total and comprehensive strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). The decision to withdraw all academic services was officially reached during an emergency congress held by the union on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at the Science Lecture Theatre on the university’s South Core campus. In a statement signed by the ASUU-JOSTUM Chairperson, Comrade Terseer Abari, the union made it clear that lecturers would no longer render any form of service until all outstanding salary arrears and entitlements owed to them by the authorities are fully paid. The industrial action leaves thousands of undergraduate and postgraduate students in a state of uncertainty as classrooms, lecture halls, and laboratories across the institution remain deserted.
The current conflict stems from what the union describes as the persistent failure of university management and relevant government authorities to fully implement the salary agreements previously reached between the Federal Government and university lecturers. According to the union leadership, the university administration has only paid two out of the four core financial components structured under the Federal Government and ASUU 2025 welfare agreement. While the Consolidated Academic Staff Salaries and the Earned Academic Allowance components have been settled to date, key remaining allowances have been withheld or paid only in fractions. Specifically, the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and the Professorial Allowance were only paid for January and February 2026, while lecturers received a meager thirty-nine percent of their Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance for March 2026, creating severe financial shortfalls for academic staff.
Adopting the firm slogan “No-Pay-No-Work,” the union emphasized that its members have been pushed to the wall after months of patience and diplomatic efforts. Speaking on behalf of the congress, Comrade Terseer Abari stated that the continuous underpayment and withholding of legitimate earnings have made it impossible for lecturers to meet their basic living expenses, maintain instructional equipment, and conduct meaningful research. The union leadership pointed out that several other federal tertiary institutions across the country have already implemented these approved pay structures in full, making the ongoing delays and partial payments at JOSTUM both unjustifiable and discriminatory. Consequently, the lecturers unanimously resolved that activating a total strike was their only remaining leverage to compel the authorities to satisfy their long-standing financial obligations.
To ensure that the strike directive is strictly obeyed across all faculties and departments, the ASUU-JOSTUM congress explicitly outlined the total scope of the industrial action. Under the current declaration, all teaching duties, project supervisions, term examinations, and statutory committee meetings have been suspended indefinitely. The union leadership warned that no lecturer is permitted to conduct online lectures, mark past examination scripts, or attend administrative gatherings until further notice. Furthermore, an internal strike monitoring committee has been inaugurated by the union to patrol the university campuses, monitor compliance, and prevent any attempt to undermine the collective decision of the congress. Members were urged to remain united and resolute, as solid compliance remains crucial to achieving a swift and favorable outcome.
The sudden declaration of the strike has generated widespread disruption and anxiety among the student body at the Makurdi-based university. Thousands of students who were preparing for upcoming semester examinations or completing their final-year research projects now face unexpected academic delays and financial strain. Many students living in off-campus accommodation expressed deep frustration, noting that prolonged academic disruptions force them to pay extra rent, spend more money on food, and stay longer in school than originally planned. Student union representatives have appealed to both the university management and the Federal Ministry of Education to engage in immediate dialogue with ASUU leadership to resolve the pay disputes so that normal academic routines can resume without destroying the academic calendar.
This latest strike at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University reflects a broader systemic issue affecting public tertiary education across Nigeria. For decades, public universities have struggled with recurring industrial actions triggered by unfulfilled government agreements, delayed wage disbursements, poor infrastructure, and underfunding of higher education. While the federal government has made various promises to stabilize the academic calendar and improve conditions of service for university workers, implementation gaps at institutional levels frequently lead to fresh disputes. Experts in educational administration note that frequent strikes not only lower the quality of learning and research output in public universities, but also drive many young Nigerians toward private institutions or foreign study destinations.
The economic reality facing academic staff in Nigeria further complicates the ongoing crisis. Rising inflation, increased costs of transportation, high utility bills, and elevated living expenses have placed severe financial pressure on public sector workers across the country. Lecturers argue that when specialized allowances meant for purchasing academic materials, books, and teaching software are withheld or amputated, the quality of instruction suffers directly. For many senior academics and professors whose specialized allowances remain unpaid, the delay creates demoralizing working conditions that encourage brain drain, pushing seasoned scholars to seek better opportunities abroad or in the private sector.
In light of the severe impact on students and the university’s academic reputation, stakeholders are calling on the Federal Government and the management of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University to act swiftly. Resolving the immediate dispute will require the prompt release and disbursement of all outstanding salary components, including full payment of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Professorial Allowance arrears. Beyond short-term financial settlements, establishing transparent communication channels and reliable wage payment mechanisms will be essential to preventing future industrial action. Until the government and university management meet these core demands, academic activities at JOSTUM will remain completely frozen, leaving the future of thousands of students hanging in the balance.
