By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
The Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) has been thrown into academic paralysis following an indefinite strike declared by the institution’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which took effect from Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
The strike, announced at the Obio Akpa campus, is a protest against what the union describes as years of government neglect, particularly the non-payment of the new minimum wage and persistent disregard for accumulated entitlements dating as far back as a decade.
Chairman of ASUU-AKSU, Dr. Frank Namso, who addressed journalists and staff, decried the consistent failure of the state government to engage with or respond to the union’s demands despite multiple letters and reminders.
“We have a compendium of letters we’ve written to the government over the years—none has been acknowledged. As we speak, AKSU lecturers are the only set of public servants in the state yet to receive the new minimum wage,” Namso lamented.
Among the long-standing issues listed by the union are the non-payment of domestic servant and driver allowances, ₦80,000 minimum wage arrears dating back to November 2024, inadequate peculiar allowances, the meagre ₦2,000 hazard allowance, and the non-implementation of the 35% and 25% federal wage awards.
Namso revealed that the disparities are so pronounced that non-teaching staff in similar salary brackets are earning more than professors and senior lecturers.
“Let me shock you,” he said. “In AKSU, Associate Professors and full Professors earn less than non-teaching staff in the same grade level. In fact, while teaching staff receive only 8 percent of the Learned Society Allowance, non-teaching staff get 25 percent. Domestic staff allowances have been paid to NASU members, while our own members have received nothing.”
The union also criticized the state government for delaying promotions and for failing to pay Postgraduate supervision and examination allowances.
He further noted: “Even cleaners in the university, who have no business with exam supervision, are receiving 25 percent supervision allowance while academic staff responsible for teaching, setting, and grading exams get nothing.”
The strike, which is already affecting academic activities across campuses, has raised concerns among students and parents alike, with many calling on the state government to intervene urgently to prevent further damage to the institution’s calendar and integrity.
Dr. Namso insisted that the strike would continue until the government meets all the outlined demands, urging the authorities to stop treating academic staff as “second-class workers” in the public service.
“The time for silence is over. We cannot continue to be victims of injustice while we are the very backbone of this institution,” he said.