ASUU Threatens Nationwide Strike Over Unfulfilled 2009 Agreement with FG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a strong warning that it may embark on what it termed the “mother of all strikes” if the Federal Government fails to implement the 2009 agreement reached with the union.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Calabar, the Chairman of the University of Calabar (Unical) chapter, Dr. Peter Ubi, said the nationwide strike would begin once the national body makes its declaration after its meeting scheduled for August 28.

Dr. Ubi accused the Federal Government of reneging on its promises, stressing that the union had exhausted all avenues for dialogue without results.

The Unical ASUU chapter also decried the continuous licensing of private universities in Nigeria, warning that it undermines the quality of education in the country.

According to him, Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities and 159 private universities, with overstretched resources and underutilised facilities posing serious threats to academic standards.

This development comes on the heels of the recent decision by the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Bola Tinubu, to approve a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions — even though nine new universities were still given approval despite the freeze.