Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri Zone, has issued a 14-day ultimatum to Governors Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State and Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, demanding the immediate implementation of the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement, warning that failure to comply will result in an indefinite shutdown of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) and Imo State University (IMSU). The union made the declaration at a press conference held at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, on Monday, June 29, 2026, expressing frustration that more than five months after the agreement's implementation commenced, the two state-owned universities have yet to begin the process.
The Zonal Coordinator of ASUU Owerri Zone, Professor Dennis Aribodor, lamented that while implementation has progressed in many state-owned universities, including those in Bauchi, Benue, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Sokoto states, Anambra and Imo have remained inactive. He noted that ASUU branches in both COOU and IMSU, following the directive of the union's National Executive Council (NEC), submitted the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement to their respective university administrations in February 2026. This was done even though the National Universities Commission (NUC) had earlier communicated the agreement to the governors as visitors of the state universities and their vice chancellors.
Professor Aribodor stated: “Despite demonstrations of good faith and engagement of university authorities including the Governing Councils and University Administrations by our Union in COOU and IMSU, the implementation of the Agreement has not commenced in both universities. This is both bad and sad for the University system”. The union called on well-meaning citizens, traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations, parents, student groups, and other critical stakeholders to prevail on the governors to implement the agreement in order to uphold industrial harmony.
The 2025 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement was unveiled on January 14, 2026, and the Federal Government had directed all state governments to implement it. The agreement includes a 40 per cent upward review of emoluments for university academics, aimed at improving service delivery, enhancing global competitiveness, and reversing brain drain. At the signing ceremony, the Minister of Education, Dr Olatunji Alausa, described the agreement as ushering in a new era of stability, dignity, and excellence for Nigeria's tertiary education system.
The ASUU coordinator expressed concern that the continued delay in implementation serves no useful purpose and only aggravates industrial tension within the affected universities. He also lamented that the Anambra State University receives about N180 million monthly, while some states provide as much as N600 million for salaries alone in their universities. He questioned why Anambra and Imo states should wait for unrest to take place before taking action, recalling that it took a strike to get governors of the two states to implement the 2009 ASUU government agreement. He attributed the brain drain of academic staff from South-East universities to other parts of the country to a lack of proper funding by their visitors.
The union warned that it cannot continue to watch while its members in state universities are subjected to poor welfare conditions, adding that "injury to one is injury to all". The 14-day ultimatum takes effect from Monday, June 29, 2026, meaning the governors have until Monday, July 13, 2026, to comply or face a total shutdown of academic activities at the two institutions. The development comes amid growing industrial unrest in Nigeria's university system, with ASUU's Benin Zone also threatening an indefinite strike in seven state-owned universities across Edo, Delta, and Ondo states over the non-implementation of the same agreement.
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