ASUU Threatens ‘Mother of All Strikes’ Over Unresolved Demands
By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to embark on what it described as the “mother of all strikes” if the Federal Government fails to address its longstanding demands by Thursday, 28th August 2025.
Speaking at a press briefing in Calabar on Tuesday, ASUU Chairperson of the University of Calabar Branch (ASUU-UCB), Peter Ubi, outlined unresolved issues including the renegotiation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement, revitalisation and sustainable funding of universities, unpaid 25–35% wage awards, three months’ salary arrears, and over four years of outstanding promotion arrears. He also raised concerns about the victimisation of staff at LASU, Prince Abubakar Audu University, and FUTO.
“If I’ve foreseen what will happen, this strike will be the mother of all strikes,” Ubi declared. “The issues raised are not new. ASUU has always provided solutions, but the government keeps applying the same trick of ‘keep them talking.’ Time is running out.”
The union leader explained that any strike action is determined through a referendum across universities, dismissing claims that ASUU leaders collect money to end strikes. “It is not possible for leaders at the national level to call off a strike unilaterally. Every decision is collective,” he emphasised.
Ubi also criticised the government’s handling of the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed Report submitted in February 2025, accusing it of abandoning the Collective Bargaining Principle. He urged the government to sign the renegotiated agreement to improve academics’ welfare and reduce dependence on cooperative loans.
On staff retirement benefits, he decried the plight of professors and senior academics under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), noting that some who served for over 40 years now earn as little as ₦150,000 monthly. “This is unacceptable and cruel in the current economic realities,” he said.
While commending the government’s moratorium on the proliferation of new universities, Ubi called on stakeholders including NIREC, NANS, traditional institutions, and the National Assembly to intervene before the union is forced into industrial action.
If ASUU follows through with its threat, the strike is expected to surpass the 2022 industrial action, which crippled Nigerian universities for eight months.
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