ASUU issues fresh 14-day strike warning to governors

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Owerri Zone, has issued a fresh 14-day ultimatum to two state governors, warning that academic activities in affected state-owned universities may be shut down if its demands are ignored.

The union said it would embark on an indefinite strike at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, and Imo State University if the governments of Anambra and Imo states fail to implement the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement.

The warning was directed at Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State and Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.

Addressing journalists at the ASUU Conference Hall of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, the Owerri Zonal Coordinator of the union, Dennis Aribodor, said the two universities had yet to comply with the agreement more than five months after implementation commenced in other institutions.

Aribodor said ASUU had exhausted all avenues of engagement with the affected state governments and university authorities.

According to him, branches of the union in COOU and IMSU submitted the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement to their respective university administrations in February 2026, in line with the directive of ASUU’s National Executive Council.

He added that the National Universities Commission, NUC, had also communicated the agreement to the governors, who are visitors to the universities, as well as the vice-chancellors of the two institutions.

The ASUU official said the agreement covers issues such as salary deficits, infrastructure development and staff welfare.

“More than five months after the commencement of the implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, ASUU Owerri Zone regrets to alert the general public and critical stakeholders in the university education system that the agreement is yet to be implemented in the state-owned universities in ASUU Owerri Zone,” Aribodor said.

He said the two affected universities are Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, owned by the Anambra State Government, and Imo State University, owned by the Imo State Government.

Aribodor lamented that while many state-owned universities in Bauchi, Benue, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Sokoto states had commenced implementation of the agreement, Anambra and Imo had yet to do so.

He described the delay as disturbing and harmful to the university system.

“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,” he said.

The union appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, parents, students and other stakeholders to prevail on the Anambra and Imo governors to act before the situation degenerates.

Aribodor warned that continued delay would only worsen industrial tension in the affected universities.

“Failure to implement the agreement within 14 days, we are going to embark on an indefinite strike,” he said.

“ASUU Owerri Zone cannot continue to watch while our members in state universities are subjected to poor welfare conditions. Injury to one is injury to all. A stitch in time saves nine.”

He said the poor welfare situation in the affected universities was already fuelling the exodus of academics from institutions in the South-East.

According to him, COOU currently receives about N180 million monthly from the state government, compared to about N600 million allocated by some states for university staff salaries alone.

“I don’t know why Anambra and Imo states should wait until there is industrial unrest before taking action,” he added.

The ASUU Chairman of COOU, Ibekilo Bruno, said the university requires about N300 million monthly to pay academic staff salaries.

Also speaking, the ASUU Chairman of IMSU, Stephen Oguji, said the university would require about N1 billion to adequately cater for the welfare of both academic and non-academic staff.

Oguji described the situation in IMSU as pitiable, alleging that all financial expenditures were controlled by the state government through a single account, leaving the university management with little financial autonomy.

The threat comes as ASUU’s Benin Zone also warned of an indefinite strike in seven state-owned universities across Edo, Delta and Ondo states over non-implementation of the same agreement.