Taraba Govt Releases N500 million to Varsity, Urges ASUU to Call Off Strike

By Andrew Ojih,  Jalingo. 

Taraba State Government on Monday urged the Taraba State University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its ongoing strike action. 

The Honourable Commissioner for Tertiary Education,  Dr Mike Dio Jen made the call  while speaking to journalists in Jalingo.

Jen hinted that governor Kefes released another N300 million to the N200 million earlier released few days ago as part of agreement to clear blacklog of salaries owing staff of the institution. 

The Commissioner noted that the governor had met all seven demands that ASUU presented to the state government. 

“Today,  ASUU has no justification to continue with its ongoing strike action, this present administration inherited blacklog of salaries from previous administration,” he said.

“Governor Kefas has greatly shown commitment to the University,  when he came on board,  the salaries bill of the school was just three hundred million but within a shorter time after he increased the minimum wage of workers the salary bill rise to seven hundred million monthly. 

He stressed that the governor has within a week released five hundred million naira out of the three billion naira demand from ASUU. 

According to him,  the governor met  backlog of salaries of over  four billion and used over one billion to offset it. 

He highlighted that the governor spent over two billion naira for building of female hostels, Nakowa hostel and  renovations.

“This are efforts the governor has put to ensure that the University maintained its standard. The governor few weeks ago approved over two hundred and fifty million naira for accreditation of courses and one hundred and sixty one for convocation” he said.