Academic activities at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, remain in limbo as members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) threaten to block the planned resumption of students and the upcoming convocation ceremony unless their outstanding salaries are paid.
The university’s ASUU chapter embarked on strike last month over unpaid arrears, a move that has already crippled learning on campus.
Speaking on the development, ASUU Chairman at AAUA, Boluwaji Oshodi, said the patience of lecturers had been stretched to the limit by the state government’s alleged indifference.
“We have been patient and tolerant for a long time, but this time, we won’t be again. Our people have been pushed to the wall. We are not seeing any effort that signals the state government is ready to do the right thing,” Oshodi declared.
He further revealed that attempts by the union to meet with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had failed, stressing that lecturers were enduring extreme hardship, even to the point of “conducting examinations on an empty stomach.”
Reacting to the union’s threat, Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Igbekele Ajibefun, dismissed claims that the government had abandoned the university.
Ajibefun explained that the administration had been engaging with ASUU to resolve the crisis and reassured stakeholders that a resolution was in sight. He maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s government had consistently released monthly subventions to all state-owned tertiary institutions, including AAUA, without delays.
The standoff, however, raises fears that students’ resumption and the university’s convocation may be jeopardized if the dispute remains unresolved.
