Ondo: Adekunle Ajasin University ASUU Begins Strike

By Ayodele Oni

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) branch, has directed its members to withdraw their services from all academic activities, effective Monday, September 1, following unresolved issues over unpaid salaries and arrears.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Branch Chairperson, Boluwaji Oshodi, and Secretary, Olusegun Taiwo, the Union said the decision was reached at its congress held on Thursday, August 21, 2025.

According to the communique, the strike became inevitable after repeated appeals to the university authorities and Ondo State government to offset the backlog of salaries and arrears failed to yield results.

“By this memo, our members have been directed to withdraw their services from all academic activities in the University until all our outstanding salaries and arrears are paid,” the statement read.

The union assured stakeholders of its commitment to the overall development of the institution.

It, however, maintained that the welfare of its members could no longer be neglected.

Earlier in June, the union, under the Joint Action Committee of Ondo State owned tertiary Institutions(ODSTI) announced a 14-day warning strike to protest poor funding and unfair living conditions of workers of the institutions.

The warning strike came after it said it had made several efforts to call the attention of the state government especially the Visitor of the institutions to the plights and poor living conditions of the workers.

JAC had said the poor living conditions of the workers had resulted from several reasons including “poor and inadequate funding of the various institutions; failure to implement the National Minimum Wage, failure to pay accumulated arrears of the previous National Minimum Wages, failure to pay the last tranche of our Wage Award, failure to pay gratuities to our retired members and failure to pay 6 months outstanding salary arrears to the workers of the Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo.”

Although the institutions has suffered low funding over the years, the state government insisted it was doing its best to ensure adequate funding of the substitutions.

The state Commissioner for Information, Idowu Ajanaku, said on Sunday, that the issues would be resolved permanently with the increase in subvention to the universities and other tertiary institutions in the state.

He said, “A committee was set up to resolve the issue. It has met and recommendations have been made.

“For the salary arrears, the governor has given a directive to the University for the payment of the outstanding salaries. I know that within the next few days the issues will be resolved.”

On the increase in the subvention, Mr Ajanaku noted that the recommendations of the committee would be incorporated in the process of budgeting for next year to ensure the tertiary institutions in the state get adequate funding.