By Ayodele Oni
Academic and administrative activities will be paralyzed in the three Ondi state-owned universities as their workers have declared an indefinite strike, following the failure of the state government to release the promised funding increases and pay outstanding allowances.
The industrial action will take effect from midnight on Wednesday, following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government by the Joint Action Committee of Ondo State-Owned Tertiary Institutions (JAC-ODSTI).
The affected institutions are Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko(AAUA); Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa; and the University of Medical Sciences, (UNIMED), Ondo.
The unions involved are the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
The unions made this known in a statement issued by the JAC-ODSTI Chairman, Comrade Tayo Ogungbeni, and Secretary, Comrade Kunle Akinwonmi. The workers said the strike followed the state government’s failure to meet their demands.
The unions are demanding the implementation, from January 2026, of the Federal Government/unions agreement, including the payment of the Consolidated Tertiary Institutions and other allowances attached to the agreement.
They also faulted the government over its alleged failure to increase the subventions of the institutions by 60 per cent, as previously announced.
“Whereas, the same government released the same old subventions to all the institutions without the 60% promised for the month of August, 2026,” the unions said.
The JAC further alleged that the government had approved the implementation of the agreement from August but failed to provide the financial backing required to give effect to the decision.
The workers described the situation as unacceptable.
The unions said, “It is crystal clear that the State government is playing politics with our lives and wellbeing, therefore, we have no other alternative than to embark on this industrial action.”
The unions consequently directed their members to withdraw clerical, administrative, technical, clinical and other services across the institutions from Wednesday until their outstanding entitlements are settled.
“All the clerical, administrative, technical, clinical and other services being rendered by our members in all the various universities in Ondo State are hereby withdrawn until our CONTTA and all other allowances attached to it are paid unconditionally from January, 2026 to date,” the unions stated.
The workers maintained that the strike would continue indefinitely until the government addressed their grievances.
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