Professor Muhammad Sani Yahaya, a former vice-chancellor of Taraba State University in Jalingo, has appealed to the Taraba State Government to fulfil its commitments to the institution and help bring an indefinite strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities to an end.
Call to resolve the university dispute
Yahaya said the industrial action was regrettable and was damaging students’ academic advancement. In a Thursday statement issued by his media aide, Aminu Hamisu Yusuf, he said the conflict had intensified because the state government had reportedly not implemented an agreement reached with the university’s management earlier this year.
He said the dispute represented a major and preventable setback, warning that students should not be left to suffer because of outstanding differences between the government and the university’s leadership.
- The Taraba State Government should promptly meet the obligations it agreed with the university.
- Officials should begin substantive talks with TSU management and ASUU leaders.
- Any settlement should put students first, allowing examinations to be concluded and the academic calendar to be completed without additional interruptions.
Education should not be a political pledge
The former university administrator said education must be regarded as a core duty of government, rather than being treated as a political commitment.
He urged the current administration to take swift, practical action to settle the disagreement and return the university to normal academic operations.
Need for stable academic operations
Yahaya said students were entitled to continuous learning, while lecturers should receive equitable treatment. He added that Taraba State requires an education system capable of fulfilling the ambitions and needs of its population.
