By Terna Chikpa, Jalingo
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Taraba State University (TSU) chapter, has threatened to sue the publisher of a Taraba-based newspaper, Taraba Truth and Facts, over what it described as a mischievous publication against the union.
Comrade Bitrus Joseph Ajibauka, the SSANU Chairperson, told journalists during a press briefing in Jalingo that the newspaper portrayed the union in one of its reports as a participant in an alleged meeting where a decision was taken to suspend the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Sunday Paul Bako, and dissolve the Governing Council.
Ajibauka said the union was at no point invited to, nor informed of, such a meeting.
“We demand an immediate retraction and ⁰0public apology from the publisher of the newspaper. We demand that the public apology be published in at least two national daily newspapers.
“If this is not done within the next 48 hours, we will have no other option but to take legal action.
“We do not know where he got his source of information. SSANU was not part of the alleged meeting, and we want him to immediately retract the publication and tender a public apology,” the union stated.
Comrade Ajibauka, speaking on behalf of SSANU-TSU, said the issues presently under dispute with the Taraba State Government are clearly documented and longstanding.
“We wish to reiterate that our issues presently under dispute with the Taraba State Government are clear, documented, and longstanding. We will not entertain falsehood from mischief-makers bent on dragging SSANU into an alleged unlawful act capable of negatively affecting the university.
“Our issues are clear. We urge Governor Agbu Kefas to urgently act to avoid industrial disharmony.
“We demand that the 2024/2025 Appraisal Exercise of the Senior Administrative and Technical Staff, which is long overdue, be put on hold until our observations, positions, and recommendations are considered in the interest of industrial harmony and growth of the university.
“SSANU-TSU was denied membership and representation on the Committee for the Review of the Conditions of Service, and the Guidelines for Appointments, Appraisal and Promotions of Senior Administrative and Technical Staff.
“We insist that our submissions of 8th July and 15th September 2025 were not properly attended to as required. Placing CONTISS 12, which has been abolished in the university career progression for professionals, and the eight years’ time-in-rank requirement (even when vacancies exist) for progression from CONTISS 14 to 15, and other related issues are not acceptable,” the union insisted.
The union also demanded payment of outstanding salaries and allowances.
“We demand the payment of outstanding salaries and allowances. We demand the outstanding arrears of salaries as agreed.
“We demand immediate settlement of the unpaid full salaries of September 2022 and October 2022; the withheld 28 percent of June 2022 salary balance; the withheld 51 percent of November 2022 salary balance; the withheld 44 percent of December 2022 salary balance; and the Earned Administrative Allowances (EAA).
“The remaining 87.1 percent of the total accumulated EAA must be paid immediately,” Comrade Ajibauka stated.
The chairperson also lamented that retired SSANU-TSU members and families of deceased co-workers were suffering due to lack of pension payments after faithfully serving the university.
“It is disheartening that our retired SSANU-TSU members and the families of our deceased co-workers are suffering due to lack of pension after serving the university faithfully. We call on the Taraba State Government and the university management to speed up the process of the State-Defined Pension Scheme to save the lives of our members who are gradually dying after a successful retirement from service of the state university,” he continued.
SSANU-TSU called on the Taraba State Government and the university management to settle all outstanding issues to avert the resumption of the total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike action that was suspended on January 26, 2025.
“SSANU-TSU Jalingo Branch is appealing to the Federal Government to speed up action on the pending renegotiation of the 2009 agreement with SSANU for equity among university-based unions to avert a breakdown of industrial harmony.
“We call on the Taraba State Government and the university management to settle all outstanding issues to avert the resumption of the total, comprehensive, and indefinite strike action that was suspended on January 26, 2025,” the union maintained.
