Students Of Ondo University Protest 68 Days Of Strike By Workers

By Ayodele Oni

Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, on Thursday blocked major roads within, the community, disrupting vehicular movement for several hours as they protested the prolonged industrial action which has lasted for 68 days by the staff.

The protest, organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG), saw students blocked the university’s main gate and roads linking the institution to the major highway, leaving travellers and motorists stranded for hours.

The students marched with placards bearing various inscriptions, including “Every pending graduate, shey na our lives be these?”, “NASU, NAAT, SSANU have joined strike” and “Enough is Enough.”

They demanded urgent intervention by the Ondo State Government and other stakeholders to resolve the crisis and facilitate the reopening of the university.

The students pointed out that the continued closure of the institution was adversely affecting their academic programmes, particularly those of final-year students awaiting examinations and other requirements for graduation.

The protest took place against the backdrop of an ongoing industrial dispute involving university workers, which has disrupted academic activities and kept students away from campus for weeks.

Addressing journalists, the SUG President, Comrade Folagbade Ayoola, said the students had reached their limit and could no longer remain silent while the crisis continued to threaten their academic future.

According to him, students were being made to bear the consequences of a dispute over workers’ welfare despite continuing to pay their school fees.

“We cannot keep silent because we are really facing challenges in our university. Imagine students having to pay school fees while lecturers’ salaries are not being paid,” Ayoola alleged.

He explained that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had presented its demands to the government, but after a series of meetings failed to produce the desired resolution, the union embarked on an indefinite strike.

Ayoola revealed that the students had continued to receive assurances that the matter would be resolved but expressed disappointment that no concrete solution had emerged.

“We keep hearing promises and pushing for a solution, but nothing concrete has happened. At this point, we have no other option than to come out and make our voices heard.”

The SUG president warned that the students would sustain legitimate pressure until the university was reopened.

“Until the strike is called off, we are not going to back down. We will continue to protest and use every legitimate means possible to ensure that our voices are heard,” he added.

Also speaking, the General Secretary of the Students’ Union, Oluwatimileyin Amos, said the prolonged shutdown has left students in uncertainty, with many unable to determine when academic activities would resume.

Amos confirmed that the students have now spent approximately 68 days at home, describing the situation as increasingly unbearable.

“We have been on strike for 68 days now and something needs to be done. We need an immediate resolution and action because our students are suffering.”

He appealed to students across the institution to unite behind the struggle, saying the consequences of the prolonged strike affected every student, regardless of their level or programme.

“This is an injury to one and an injury to all, so we are calling on students to solidarise with us and let our voices be heard,” Amos said.

He expressed particular concern over the plight of final-year and pending-graduating students whose examinations and other academic requirements could be affected by the prolonged disruption.

According to him, the uncertainty has also created practical difficulties for students who did not know whether to return to their places of residence or remain close to the institution in anticipation of a possible resumption.

“Students are in a dilemma. They do not know whether to travel or stay back. This has caused a lot of hardship for students, especially the pending graduates whose examinations are approaching.”

Amos therefore called for an immediate resolution of the issues leading to the strike, stressing that students should not continue to bear the burden of a dispute over which they had no control.

Government had recently announced an increase in subvention to all tertiary institutions owned by the state.