Taraba State University excluded from N70,000 minimum wage, other benefits – ASUU laments

By DOMINIC AKPENSUEN, Jalingo –

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Taraba State University chapter has decried poor working condition, neglects and exclusion from the current N70,000 minimum wage from the state government.

The chairperson of the association, Dr. Mbave Joshua disclosed this on Thursday in an exclusive interview with NATIONAL ACCORD at the institution’s campus in Jalingo.

Dr. Joshua stressed that the current salary table for the academic staff in the university is that of 2009, sixteen years after without review, adding that the union has overtime suffered a lots of setback on the issue of salary adjustment.

He noted that while other sectors and institutions in the state enjoyed the previous N30,000 increment, Taraba State University was left out and didn’t receive the benefit

He further lamented that the devastating situation of working condition in the institution is the issue of pension scheme, where their is no established pension scheme for retirement of academic staff, even the N70,000 death levy, which is released after the demise of a lecturer, comes within 3 months after the person might be buried.

The ASUU chairman highlighted that the state government’s funding of Taraba State University is a significant bottleneck. He emphasized that according to the university’s establishment law, the state government is responsible for funding the institution and providing statutory allocation for its operations.

He expressed concern that the university has been operating without a governing council for eighteen months, which has hindered progress and development. He mentioned several challenges, including the lack of perimeter fencing, which poses a security threat, and the accumulation of academic earned allowances.