The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that it is ready to embark on the “mother of all strikes” unless the Federal Government fulfils its long-standing commitments under the 2009 agreements.
The University of Calabar (Unical) chapter issued the warning at a press briefing on Tuesday in Calabar, where its chairman, Dr. Peter Ubi, declared that industrial action would commence once the national body gives the directive after its scheduled August 28 meeting.
Ubi outlined the union’s demands, which include:
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Re-negotiation of the 2009 agreement.
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Sustainable funding and revitalisation of universities.
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Payment of the outstanding 25–35% wage award.
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Settlement of three months’ salary arrears and over four years’ promotion arrears.
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Remittance of third-party deductions.
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“The government made promises on these issues, and regrettably, we are here today to inform the Nigerian public that these undisputed issues have not been resolved for several years,” Ubi said.
He added that ASUU had exhausted all other means of dialogue but has been consistently ignored, leaving strike action as the only option.
Meanwhile, the Unical chapter also called for a halt to the proliferation of private universities, urging the Federal Government to extend its moratorium on new federal institutions to both state-owned and private ones.
Nigeria currently has 339 universities — 72 federal and 159 private — in addition to polytechnics and colleges of education. Ubi argued that unchecked expansion has diluted academic standards and overstretched resources.
The call comes despite the Federal Executive Council’s decision last week, under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, to approve nine new universities, even after announcing a seven-year freeze on establishing new federal institutions due to quality and resource concerns.
