ASUU suspends planned strike at Gombe university

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Gombe State University has decided to suspend its planned industrial action. This decision follows an emergency congress meeting held on Friday night, where a resolution was signed by the branch Chairperson, Dr. Mustapha Shehu Muhammad, and Secretary, Dr. Aliyu Umar Shelleng.

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The union, however, warned that it would resume the industrial action if the government and university management failed to honour the commitments contained in the relevant documents by the agreed deadline.

The suspension is contingent upon the state government and university management implementing agreements reached with the union. ASUU has set a deadline of the end of October 2026 for these commitments to be fulfilled. The congress deliberated on a letter from the Gombe State Government regarding the commencement of the new salary structure and a memorandum of understanding with the university management concerning outstanding arrears and other entitlements.

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Speaking with Vanguard in Gombe on Thursday, the ASUU branch Chairperson, Dr Mustapha Shehu Muhammad, said the union had several grievances, which prompted its decision to issue a 14-day ultimatum to the state government.

However, ASUU issued a stern warning: the industrial action will be resumed if the government and university management fail to honor their commitments by the agreed-upon deadline. This development comes after the union had previously raised concerns over the non-implementation of several agreements and outstanding financial obligations to its members. The union had initially issued a 14-day ultimatum to the state government.

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Among the outstanding issues, Muhammad listed arrears arising from the 2019 N30,000 minimum wage, arrears of the 25/35 per cent wage award, non-implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage and outstanding Earned Academic Allowances.

Dr. Muhammad highlighted several grievances, including the non-implementation of the 2025 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government, arrears from the 2019 minimum wage, the 25/35 percent wage award, and outstanding Earned Academic Allowances. The suspension is intended to give the authorities an opportunity to fulfill their promises and avert the disruption of academic activities at the institution.

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The decision to suspend the planned strike was aimed at giving the government and university management an opportunity to fulfil their commitments.