The Benue State Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi chapter, to suspend its ongoing indefinite strike and return to the negotiation table, citing Governor Hyacinth Alia’s efforts to improve staff welfare and address long-standing challenges inherited by the administration.
The union had declared an “indefinite, total and comprehensive industrial action” on June 1, 2026, over unresolved welfare-related concerns. However, the government said significant progress has been made since Governor Alia assumed office in May 2023.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Tersoo Kula, the government acknowledged ASUU’s right to pursue the welfare of its members but urged the union to reciprocate what it described as the goodwill and commitment demonstrated by the administration in addressing lingering financial and administrative issues in the institution.
According to the statement, the government has cleared Earned Academic Allowances and Excess Workload arrears dating back to 2009, implemented the new minimum wage with arrears, and paid five months of the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage award arrears. It also implemented the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance (CATA) alongside its arrears.
The administration further stated that it had paid five months’ pension arrears to retirees, completed the digital capture of university pensioners into the Benue State Pension Board system, and resolved promotion backlogs affecting both academic and non-academic staff.
Other interventions include the implementation of the Health Insurance Scheme for university staff and their families, as well as the promotion of lecturers and other personnel whose career progression had been delayed for years.
While acknowledging the union’s demands for the payment of promotion arrears from 2017 to 2022, pension arrears from 2015 to 2023, and salary adjustment arrears, the government said these obligations were inherited liabilities accumulated over several years and could not be fully settled immediately without proper financial planning.
The statement maintained that the government had already developed a framework to address the outstanding issues, stressing that sustained dialogue remains the most viable path to lasting resolution.
It warned that a prolonged strike would disrupt academic activities, delay graduations, increase financial pressure on parents and guardians, and negatively affect students whose academic progress depends on a stable calendar.
The government added that the recent integration of university pensioners into the state pension system, with payments expected to begin next month, demonstrates its commitment to resolving welfare concerns through sustainable measures.
The Benue State Government therefore called on ASUU-FAUM to suspend the strike and embrace further negotiations, expressing confidence that continued engagement would consolidate the gains already recorded and ensure stability and progress in the state’s higher education sector.