Academic activities have been suspended at Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, formerly the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, following the declaration of an immediate total and comprehensive strike by the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.
The ASUU-JOSTUM chapter announced the industrial action on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, following a congress meeting at which members considered the outstanding salary components owed to academic staff. The decision was contained in a statement issued by the union’s chairperson, Terseer Abari, and made available to journalists in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The union described the action as a “No-Pay-No-Work” strike, appealing to the appropriate authorities to settle all outstanding salaries owed its members before academic activities can resume.
According to the union, the dispute centres on what it described as the incomplete payment of salary components under the 2025 agreement reached between the Federal Government and ASUU. ASUU-JOSTUM said the university authority had so far paid only two of the four components contained in the agreement.
The union identified the two components already paid as the Consolidated Academic Staff Salaries and the Earned Academic Allowance. However, it said the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance and Professorial Allowance had only been paid for January and February 2026.
ASUU further stated that only 39 per cent of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance for March 2026 had been paid. The union consequently classified the outstanding payments as underpayment of salaries to its members.
The development followed a resolution reached by the union’s congress at the Science Lecture Theatre, South Core, Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University, Makurdi, on August 12. The chapter said its decision was taken in accordance with a resolution of ASUU’s National Executive Council reached on August 8 and 9, 2026.
With the commencement of the industrial action, lecturers are expected to withdraw from all academic responsibilities. The union specifically stated that there would be no teaching, student supervision, examinations, statutory meetings or other academic activities throughout the period of the strike.
The union maintained that the suspension of academic activities would continue until the university pays all outstanding salaries owed its members.
The latest development places students of the university at the centre of another disruption to the academic calendar, as lectures, assessments, supervision and other academic engagements are expected to remain suspended for the duration of the industrial action.
The strike also comes amid continuing concerns over the implementation of agreements between university workers and government authorities, particularly issues relating to salaries, allowances and other employment conditions. At Benue State University, ASUU had earlier embarked on an indefinite strike over a wider range of welfare and governance concerns, including unpaid promotion arrears, pension-related issues and salary-related entitlements.
For ASUU-JOSTUM, however, the immediate issue in the latest action is the payment of the outstanding salary components. The union has therefore linked the resumption of academic activities directly to the settlement of the arrears, leaving the university community awaiting action from the relevant authorities.
