The Joint Unions of Nasarawa State Tertiary Institutions (JUNSTI) have suspended their nearly one-month-long industrial action and instructed members to resume academic activities with immediate effect.
JUNSTI, which comprises lecturers from the state-owned Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia; College of Agriculture, Science and Technology, Lafia; and the College of Education, Akwanga, had on December 24, 2025, embarked on an indefinite strike over the failure to implement the New National Minimum Wage in the tertiary institutions.
The union’s chairman, Samson Kale Gbande, explained that the strike was necessitated by the state government’s inability to fulfil agreements reached after several meetings and negotiations.
Earlier, the Nasarawa State Government, through the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, had appealed on January 2 for JUNSTI to suspend the strike to allow room for continued dialogue.
At a meeting recently convened by the heads of the affected institutions and JUNSTI, the Rector of Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia, Associate Prof. Nurudeen Mu’azu Maifata, briefed the unions on steps being taken by the state government to address the lecturers’ demands. He urged them to remain calm, engage in dialogue, and call off the strike to prevent students from being denied access to education.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday at Isa Mustapha Agwai I Polytechnic, Lafia, Gbande announced the suspension of the strike and directed members to return to their duty posts “immediately and unconditionally”.
“We appreciate Governor Abdullahi Sule for ensuring an efficient implementation of the New National Minimum Wage across the three state-owned institutions. We commend his approach to bettering workers’ living conditions.
“The payment of the New National Minimum Wage for the months of November and December has already begun,” he said.
Gbande also praised JUNSTI members for their resolve and commitment throughout the period of the industrial action.
