The Bayelsa State Government has approved the payment of consolidated academic and non-teaching tools allowances to staff of the state’s three universities, a move expected to increase the government’s monthly wage bill by about N500 million.

The Deputy Governor, Dr Peter Akpe, disclosed this on Friday after a meeting with the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from the Niger Delta University (NDU), Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) and University of Africa, Toru-Orua (UAT), at the Government House in Yenagoa.

Akpe said the approval followed a resolution of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, which was forwarded to Governor Douye Diri for consideration.

He said the government would begin implementing the approved wage increase from October 2026, with the total financial commitment put at about N2.25 billion.

According to him, the outstanding 25 to 35 per cent wage award arrears would be settled in 2027, with provision already made for the payment in the state’s 2027 budget.

The deputy governor said the decision reflected the administration’s commitment to maintaining a productive relationship with organised labour and resolving disputes through dialogue rather than allowing them to disrupt academic activities.

He appealed to ASUU to reconsider its ongoing indefinite strike and return to the classrooms, arguing that the government had substantially addressed the union’s concerns.

Akpe said the government had taken steps to meet the union’s demands despite the financial burden involved in implementing the allowances.

He added that the state executive and legislature had worked together to secure the necessary approval for the payments because of the significant financial implications.

The deputy governor said the administration was unwilling to allow disagreements with labour to escalate into confrontation, stressing that the government had chosen dialogue in the interest of students and the longstanding relationship between the state and organised labour.

He urged the union to reciprocate the government’s gesture by allowing academic activities to resume across the three institutions.

Responding to the development, the immediate past Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Port Harcourt Zone, Prof. Stanley Ogoun, and the NDU chapter Chairperson, Dr Oyinkepreye Bebeteidoh, acknowledged the government’s efforts to resolve the issues raised by the union.

Bebeteidoh, who spoke to Government House correspondents after the meeting alongside the ASUU chairpersons of BMU and UAT, said the latest proposal from the government was encouraging.

He disclosed that the three university chapters would separately convene congress meetings to brief their members on the government’s offer and determine the union’s next steps.

The NDU ASUU chairman, however, stressed that the union would follow its established procedures before taking a final decision on whether to suspend the industrial action.