Taraba University Students Protest Non-Payment of Staff Salary

 Students of the Taraba State University have organized a protest against the non-payment of staff salaries at the institution.

The students in large numbers were seen in the streets of Jalingo, the state capital on Monday morning chanting songs condemning the state government.

Our correspondent reports that the protesting students have burnt tires and blocked major roads of the city which halted business activities. They are calling on the state government to as a matter of urgency effect the immediate payment of salaries of staff of the institution who owed several months of salary arrears.

The students who were supposed to start their first-semester examination for the 2022/2023 academic session, today the 9th of January 2023 but were suspended Due to non-payment of lecturers.

The protest which commenced at the University on the outskirt of Jalingo ended at the main entrance of Government House, Jalingo. Even though, heavily armed security personnel were seen guarding areas neighboring the Government House.

It was also learned that some hoodlums tried to hijack the protest by attacking the protesters and destroying posters of candidates of the ruling party in the state, PDP in this year’s general elections.

The protest organized by some agreed Taraba University Students was to express worry and concern towards the inability of the Taraba State government to pay off outstanding salary arrears of the staff of the University who spent several months without salaries since February last year.

The Taraba State University Student Union Government, SUG, president, Nathaniel Joseph Rishante condemned the protest, calling on the students not to resolve to violence but to wait for the outcome of a meeting by the lecturers held at the University campus.

As of the time of gathering this report, no security agency or State government has commented on the protest by the Taraba University Students.