The Calabar Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has warned that it will initiate a complete and indefinite strike across state-run institutions in the region. This decision stems from the refusal of state governments in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, and Cross River to honor the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU agreement.
During a briefing in Calabar, Zonal Coordinator Comrade Ikechukwu Igwenyi stated that the union is finished with the deceptive tactics of state governors. While the Federal Government and several other state universities have adopted the agreement, these specific states have ignored it despite receiving copies since December 2025.
The situation at the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) is particularly dire, with lecturers currently in their 46th day of a strike. Staff there have reportedly endured years of half-salary payments, and the union confirmed that one lecturer has died amid this ongoing welfare crisis. Furthermore, the union claims that check-off dues, cooperative deductions, and National Housing Fund contributions have not been remitted.
Igwenyi highlighted that lecturers are currently owed three-and-a-half months of salary arrears and are demanding the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance, Earned Academic Allowances, and Professorial Allowances promised in the 2025 deal. The union has called on governors to pay these outstanding debts immediately or face a total academic shutdown across the zone. They have also asked local leaders, parents, and religious figures to intervene before the crisis worsens.
