The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) chapter, has staged a peaceful protest over the Federal Government’s continued failure to implement agreements with the union, warning of possible strike action.
Led by branch chairman Prof. Anthony Odiwe, lecturers carried placards and sang solidarity songs across the campus in Ile-Ife, demanding improved welfare and funding for higher education. Placards read “Pay Our Retirees” and “Lecturers Are Not Slaves,” among other slogans.
Speaking to journalists, Odiwe alleged that the government had failed to implement the renegotiated 2009 ASUU/FGN Agreement, settle three-and-a-half months of withheld salaries, or release revitalisation funds. He said the government was stalling despite receiving the Alhaji Yayale Ahmed report on the agreement earlier this year.
He warned that unless urgent steps are taken before the ASUU National Executive Council meeting on 28 August, the union may have no choice but to embark on another strike. He urged national stakeholders, including lawmakers, student groups, and religious leaders, to pressure the government into addressing the sector’s long-standing challenges.
