by Terna Chikpa
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University Branch, has described as false claims by some appointees of Governor Agbu Kefas that the state-owned university pays the highest salaries in Nigeria.
In a statement responding to the claims, the TSU-ASUU Chairman, Dr Joshua Garba Mbave, said salary figures obtained from the structures of various universities contradicted the assertion that Taraba State University was the highest-paying university in the country.
The union said the claims were misleading and unsupported by verifiable records.
“The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University Branch, has taken note, with grave concern, of a podcast circulated on social media by one of the social media hirelings, whose comments expose his ignorance and can best be described as a survival instinct,” the statement read.
The union said the podcast’s claim that TSU was the highest-paying university in Nigeria demonstrated a lack of understanding of the facts and disregard for the need to verify information concerning the welfare of academic and non-academic staff.
It added that it would not allow public opinion to be shaped by what it described as unsubstantiated assertions.
Government’s fact-finding report
The union cited a report by a Taraba State Government fact-finding team, a copy of which it said was officially presented to it on September 24, 2026.
Titled *Report on the Implementation of Consolidated Academic/Teaching Allowance (CATA) and Consolidated Non-Teaching Allowance (CONTTA) in Gombe State University, Sa’adu Zungur University (Bauchi State), Yobe State University (Damaturu), and Adamawa State University (Mubi)*, the report examined the implementation of the allowances in the four institutions.
According to ASUU, the report established that the institutions had fully implemented the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement.
The union argued that the findings showed that staff of the universities covered by the report earned more than their counterparts at Taraba State University, Jalingo.
Salary comparison with other universities
ASUU also presented comparative salary figures from selected state universities outside the North-East geopolitical zone to challenge the claim that TSU was the highest-paying university in Nigeria.
According to the figures contained in the statement, a Graduate Assistant on CONUASS 01, Step 1, at TSU earns N237,331.33, compared with N559,577.49 at Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.
For professors, the union said a professor on CONUASS 07, Step 10, earns N1,002,801.94 at TSU, compared with N3,355,231.10 at Rivers State University.
It further cited figures for Benue State University and Delta State University, Abraka, as additional evidence to support its position that TSU does not pay the highest salaries.
However, the figures for the comparator universities were not consistently presented in the statement, making it difficult to establish a complete, grade-by-grade comparison for all the institutions mentioned.
“The above figures plainly contradict the claim that TSU is the highest-paying university in the country,” the union stated.
Unimplemented wage adjustments
The union further alleged that the 30 per cent National Minimum Wage adjustment and the 25/35 per cent wage award for Nigerian university workers were not implemented at TSU, adding that no arrears were paid for the adjustments.
It said the subsequent 70 per cent National Minimum Wage adjustment was implemented, but university staff forfeited the arrears arising from the earlier adjustments in the interest of industrial harmony.
According to the union, other states in the North, including Bauchi State, implemented the 30 per cent National Minimum Wage adjustment, the 25/35 per cent wage award and the 70 per cent National Minimum Wage adjustment, alongside CATA, without waiting for other states to act.
It added that those states implemented the adjustments without setting up committees or conducting fact-finding missions to verify their implementation.
ASUU demands implementation of agreement
The union urged members of the public and the media to disregard what it described as false claims and misleading narratives, advising them to verify salary-related information against official records.
It also demanded the full and prompt implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement at Taraba State University, alongside the payment of outstanding arrears.
“The union remains committed to the welfare of its members and to the stability of the university system. It will continue to engage the government and all stakeholders in good faith, but will not allow falsehoods to stand unchallenged,” the statement added.