ASUU Declares Indefinite Strike Across Ondo State Universities
Academic activities have once again come to a sudden halt across state-owned tertiary institutions in Ondo State, as the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared a total and indefinite strike.
The industrial action affects Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) and Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa. The union cites the Ondo State Government’s continued refusal to implement the landmark 2025 Federal Government-ASUU (FGN-ASUU) agreement and clear outstanding salary arrears as the primary cause for the shutdown.
This disruption comes barely a week after the union suspended a previous strike called over unpaid salary backlogs.
All Academic Activities Suspended Immediately
Under the directives issued by the union leadership, lecturers have been instructed to withdraw all services with immediate effect. The shutdown covers:
- * Undergraduate lectures and tutorials
- Final-year project and thesis defenses
- Postgraduate teaching and examinations
- Marking of scripts and submission of results
- Departmental, faculty, and school board meetings
Speaking in Akure, the Chairman of the ASUU-AAUA chapter, Prof. Boluwaji Oshodi, emphasized that the union exhausted all diplomatic options before arriving at the decision.
> “The union has just declared an indefinite, total, and comprehensive strike over the non-implementation of the FGN/ASUU 2025 agreement. The resolution is that if that agreement is not implemented here, and the arrears from January are not paid, we are not going to resume,” Oshodi stated.
Core Grievances and Key Demands
The 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement includes an upgraded salary structure, a 40 percent salary review for academic staff, and the payment of accumulated salary arrears dating back to January.
According to union leaders, while several other state governments across Nigeria have already commenced implementation of the package, Ondo State has remained inactive despite multiple letters and meeting requests sent by the union.
Prof. Oshodi raised concerns over the state’s reluctance to act, pointing to Ondo’s economic standing:
> “Why will our own be different in Ondo State, an oil-producing state? We are not ready to listen to anything like commitment again. What we want now is action.”
Uncertainty for Students and Parents
The renewal of industrial action throws the academic calendars of both AAUA and OAUSTECH back into turmoil. Students who were just settling back into lecture halls following the suspension of the previous strike now face prolonged delays to their graduation and academic timelines.
While union executives reiterated that they remain open to dialogue, they insisted that no lectures will resume until full implementation begins and all financial backlogs are paid into members’ accounts.
