Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) chapter, has issued a stark warning to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa that the payment of outstanding salaries alone will not prevent another, potentially more devastating, industrial action. The union declared that it has already concluded internal processes for a fresh strike over the state government's failure to implement the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU agreement and is only awaiting approval from its national leadership. The AAUA branch of ASUU has been on an indefinite strike since July 10, 2026, over the non-payment of lecturers' salaries for May and June, but union leaders insist that this dispute is just the beginning of a much larger confrontation.
Speaking with journalists on Monday, July 27, 2026, the AAUA ASUU Chairman, Dr Boluwaji Oshodi, confirmed that the union had received information that Governor Aiyedatiwa had released funds to the university management to offset the salary arrears. However, he stressed that the union would not suspend the strike based on promises or assurances. "Government has not spoken to us directly, but it has discussed with the university management. The information reaching us is that the governor has released some money to the university management to offset the salaries. But as of today, July 27, lecturers are already being owed three months' salaries – May, June and July," Oshodi stated. He added, "We have heard that the governor has signed the warrant and that the money will be available anytime from now, but as a union, we don't work with promises. We work with action. Until we receive the salary alerts, we will not believe the money has been released."
The university management had earlier announced that Governor Aiyedatiwa had approved a special intervention fund to enable the institution to meet its financial obligations and urged students to remain calm while payment processes were being concluded. However, Oshodi made it clear that even if the current strike is suspended following the payment of salaries, the union is prepared to embark on another, more extensive industrial action immediately. "Beyond that, there is another pending issue, which has to do with the implementation of the 2025 ASUU/FGN agreement. We have informed the management that if this agreement is not implemented in our university, then we are set for another round of strike," he warned. According to him, the branch had completed all procedures required to embark on another industrial action, with the approval from the zone and national ASUU leadership expected at any time.
The 2025 Federal Government/ASUU agreement, which took effect from January 2026, includes a 40 per cent salary increase for lecturers and introduces the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowance to cover publication and research costs. Oshodi noted that this agreement has already been implemented in federal universities and several state-owned institutions across the country, leaving lecturers in Ondo State feeling significantly disadvantaged. He warned that the next phase of the dispute would not be limited to AAUA but would extend to all three state-owned universities in Ondo. "This one will be brutal because it will involve all three Ondo State-owned universities – AAUA, OAUSTECH and UNIMED. All these three universities will embark on this strike at the same time," Oshodi declared.
The AAUA branch of ASUU commenced an indefinite withdrawal of services at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2026, following a resolution reached at its congress. The union described the strike as "total, comprehensive and indefinite until all outstanding salaries are paid." The industrial action has completely paralyzed academic activities at the university, disrupted the academic calendar, and delayed graduation timelines. Students of the institution have also issued a 72-hour ultimatum to Governor Aiyedatiwa, demanding that he immediately engage ASUU-AAUA leadership to ensure a prompt resolution of the crisis. The students' union expressed shock that despite assurances from the university management that the school would reopen on Monday, July 27, the institution remained closed.
The recurring labour disputes at AAUA have become a troubling pattern since Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa assumed office. Multiple letters written by the union to the governor over the salary crisis have yet to receive any official response, according to ASUU officials. The union has repeatedly accused the state government of neglect and of failing to prioritise the welfare of academic staff, warning that persistent delays in paying lecturers are fuelling the migration of experienced academics out of Nigeria's university system. The situation has left thousands of students caught between the demands of lecturers for their unpaid salaries and their own need to return to the classrooms, with many facing an uncertain academic future.
The broader context of the dispute extends beyond Ondo State. ASUU has been mounting pressure on state governments across the country to implement the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU agreement, threatening strikes in several states including Lagos, Gombe, Plateau, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Ebonyi, Bayelsa, Kebbi, Katsina and Zamfara. The union has expressed concern that the optimism that greeted the unveiling of the renegotiated agreement in January 2026 is steadily giving way to anxiety as the failure of state governments to implement the pact threatens to trigger another round of industrial action across the nation. For Ondo State, the warning from ASUU is clear: the payment of outstanding salaries is merely a temporary fix, and without full implementation of the 2025 agreement, the state's university system faces the prospect of a coordinated and devastating strike across all three of its public universities.
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