The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) chapter, has suspended its nearly two-month industrial action following the intervention of Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu.
The decision clears the way for the resumption of academic activities at the university after lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike on May 19 over unresolved welfare issues, salary arrears and the non-implementation of agreements reached with the state government.
The union had demanded the implementation of the 2025 FG-ASUU renegotiated agreement, payment of arrears arising from the 35 and 25 per cent wage awards, outstanding promotion arrears, earned academic allowances, cooperative deductions, National Housing Fund remittances and improved funding for the institution.
Announcing the suspension of the strike on Tuesday, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Student Affairs, Joseph Kelvin-Enyam, said the decision followed sustained engagements between the state government and the union aimed at resolving the dispute.
He commended Governor Otu for fulfilling his commitment to ending the industrial action and thanked the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Emmanuel Ironbar, the Special Adviser on General Duties, Ekpenyong Akiba, the university’s Vice-Chancellor, the ASUU leadership and the Students’ Union Government for their roles in resolving the impasse.
The resolution followed a series of meetings between government officials and the union, during which ASUU submitted documents outlining its demands to a government technical committee set up to address the issues.
Governor Otu had earlier constituted a seven-member committee, chaired by Prof. Uduak Effiong, to review the university’s working environment, staff welfare and governance.
He also met with the university management and students on July 14, where he pledged to improve infrastructure, provide additional operational vehicles, upgrade medical facilities and sustain dialogue with stakeholders to address the institution’s challenges.