The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Taraba State University (TSU) Chapter, has questioned the capability of the State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Mike Dio Jen, to interface in the ongoing industrial dispute between the union and the state government.
The union’s reaction followed the commissioner’s public statement characterizing the ongoing strike action by lecturers as unconstitutional and illegal. ASUU described the comment as disheartening, misleading, and a clear indication that the commissioner lacks the capacity to properly discharge his responsibilities as the principal government interface.
In a press release signed by the branch chairman, Dr. Joshua Garba Mbave, the union stated that the commissioner’s remarks constituted a deliberate attempt to misrepresent facts and coerce academics into abandoning their legitimate demands.
The union noted that the commissioner was fully apprised of all developments, including the National Executive Council (NEC) resolution passed in Abuja between August 8 and 9, 2026, which mandated all branches yet to implement the 2025 Agreement to embark on industrial action.
“It is incomprehensible that an official who was fully apprised of the sequence of events, the Union’s resolutions, and the commitments made during negotiations should now publicly describe the Union’s action as unconstitutional and illegal,” the statement read.
ASUU maintained that the commissioner cannot actively participate in negotiation processes, fail to secure necessary government interventions, and subsequently portray the union as an obstacle to industrial harmony.
Despite its friction with the commissioner, the union heaped praises on Governor Agbu Kefas for his genuine administrative interventions, acknowledging the commencement of pension payments, regular monthly salaries, and the release of N100 million monthly toward liquidating accumulated Earned Academic Allowance (EAA).
ASUU reiterated that it remains open to constructive dialogue under the sincere leadership of Governor Kefas, while calling on the state government to ensure the full implementation of the 2025 Agreement and the payment of all accrued arrears to restore normal academic activities on campus.
