Gombe varsity ASUU rejects arrears, starts non-compliance November 4
- ASUU's Gombe State University branch has rejected the salary arrears paid under the new salary scale.
- The union says the amounts fall short of members' entitlements under the 2025 ASUU-Federal Government agreement.
- It will begin active non-compliance from November 4 until all staff receive their October salaries.
Academic staff at Gombe State University say the salary arrears they have been paid are too small, and they have rejected the money. The university's branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced the decision after a congress meeting in Gombe on Tuesday.
In a statement signed by branch chairman Dr Mustapha Shehu Shehu and secretary Dr Aliyu Umar Shelleng, the union said the arrears paid under the new salary scale did not reflect what members are owed. The congress reviewed how the 2025 ASUU-Federal Government agreement and a memorandum of understanding with the university management have been implemented, and said it was not satisfied.
The union has also resolved to begin what it calls active non-compliance from Wednesday, November 4, 2026. That action will continue until every academic staff member is paid their October 2026 salary in full.
Strike approval sought
Beyond the non-compliance, the branch wants permission from ASUU's National Executive Council (NEC) to resume the strike it suspended earlier. The union says that strike would go ahead until the correct arrears under the new salary structure are calculated and paid.
The dispute follows a promise made in August. Governor Inuwa Yahaya approved an additional ₦148.762 million monthly subvention for the university to fund the Consolidated Academic Tool Allowance from October 2026. The Secretary to the Gombe State Government, Prof Ibrahim Njodi, said at the time that the extra funding was a 56 per cent rise in the university's monthly subvention and would be reflected in the 2026 supplementary budget.
On the strength of that announcement, the union suspended a planned total and indefinite strike on August 21, 2026, giving the state government and management until the end of October to deliver. The union said then that it was giving both sides the benefit of the doubt.
Now the branch says the payments that followed did not match the agreement. Its demands are simple: full October 2026 salaries, and arrears worked out correctly under the new salary scale.
What happens next
From Wednesday, members are expected to withdraw the cooperation the union calls non-compliance, which could slow academic work at the university. Whether it grows into a full strike depends on ASUU's national leadership, which must approve any resumption. Students and parents will be watching closely, since a shutdown would affect lectures, exams and the cost of keeping students on campus.
