The Benue State Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Fr. Adasu University, Makurdi, to suspend the indefinite strike it declared on Monday, saying that the administration of Governor Hyacinth Alia has made substantial progress in addressing longstanding welfare grievances.
In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, the government acknowledged ASUU’s right to pursue its members’ welfare, but appealed for a return to a negotiation table, citing a series of financial interventions carried out since the Governor assumed office in May 2023.
According to the statement, the administration has cleared earned Academic Allowances and Excess Workload arrears dating back to 2009, paid five months of outstanding salary awards to academic staff, and implemented the consolidated Academic Tools Allowance -a policy it said is yet to be fully rolled out in many other Nigerian universities.
The government also said it has settled minimum wage arrears, resolved promotion backlog for staff whose careers had stagnated since as far back as 2017, and paid five months of pension arrears to retirees.
The statement further noted that university pensioners have been captured into the Benue State Pension Board’s payment framework, with regular pension payments expected to begin next month.
On the union’s current demands, which include promotion arrears from 2017 to 2022, pension arrears spanning 2015 to 2023, and salary adjustment shortfalls, the government described them as substantial inherited liabilities that require phased implementation rather than immediate full settlement. Noting that arrangement for addressing the outstanding obligations was already in place.
“It is difficult to overlook the fact that within three years, Governor Alia’s administration has taken concrete steps to address welfare concerns that had remained unresolved for over a decade,” the statement read.
The government that a prolonged strike would harm students, delay graduations, and place added financial pressure on parents, describing students as the “greatest casualties” of industrial action.
It urged ASUU to suspend the strike and allow ongoing engagements to produce lasting solutions.
