ASUU Declares Indefinite Strike At Benue Varsity Over Unpaid Entitlements

Academic activities at Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, have been grounded following the declaration of an indefinite strike by the varsity’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The union announced the industrial action on Monday after its Congress meeting, accusing the Benue State Government and the university management of failing to resolve long-standing welfare and governance issues affecting academic staff.

Naija News reports that in a communique signed by the Chairperson of ASUU-BSU, Dr Ali Sule Ako, and the Secretary, Prof Daniel Chile, the union said the strike became inevitable after several years of negotiations, appeals, and interventions failed to produce meaningful results.

The lecturers said the unresolved issues included the non-payment of pension and gratuity to retired staff, irregular remittance of pension contributions, unpaid promotion arrears dating back to 2018, and the failure to fully implement salary adjustments and wage awards owed to members.

ASUU-BSU expressed concern that many retired staff members had been left to suffer after years of service to the university.

The union lamented that some retirees had died without receiving their entitlements, while others were still battling hardship years after leaving service.

According to the union, the continued delay in paying pension and gratuity has worsened the condition of retired workers and created uncertainty among serving staff.

The lecturers also raised concerns over what they described as irregular remittance of pension deductions, saying the development had further deepened distrust between workers and the authorities.

The union also complained about the accumulation of about 22 months of 25 and 35 per cent wage award arrears.

It said the university had yet to fully implement the Consequential Adjustment to Academic Salaries, while unpaid promotion arrears from 2018 remained unresolved.

ASUU-BSU further accused the authorities of imposing what it described as excessive taxation on staff, saying the practice had reduced the take-home pay of lecturers.

The union also decried the absence of an effective health insurance scheme for workers.

It noted that although staff members had been directed to enrol in the scheme, the government had failed to provide the required counterpart funding, thereby making the programme ineffective.

Beyond welfare matters, ASUU-BSU accused the university authorities of undermining due process and institutional autonomy.

The union cited the rejection of the Senate-nominated candidate for the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Professor Ebute Agaba, without any explanation.

It said such action raised concerns about governance in the institution and respect for established university procedures.

According to ASUU-BSU, the integrity of university governance must be protected if the institution is to function effectively and maintain public confidence.

The union said repeated efforts by the branch, the ASUU zone and the National Executive Council to secure a negotiated settlement had failed to yield the desired outcome.

It accused the authorities of resorting to isolated payments instead of entering into a clear and binding agreement with a proper implementation framework.

The communique stated, “The welfare of staff, the integrity of university governance and the future of BSU cannot continue to be subjected to endless promises and unfulfilled commitments.”

ASUU-BSU maintained that the strike would continue until substantial progress is made on all issues in dispute.

The union also insisted that only binding agreements and clear commitments from the relevant authorities would bring an end to the industrial action.