The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Akure zone, has accused the Ondo state government of failing to implement the financial provisions of the renegotiated agreements signed with the union by the federal government.
Adeola Egbedokun, coordinator of the ASUU Akure zone, raised the concerns on Friday during a press conference at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) in Ondo town.
Egbedokun warned that the continued delay could trigger industrial action across the state’s tertiary institutions.
He said since January 14 when the agreement was signed, the Ondo government had ignored its obligations under the pact despite being fully aware of its provisions.
“Despite receiving the agreement and being fully apprised of its obligations, the Ondo state government has continued to actively ignore its provisions,” he said.
“This persistent inaction has adversely affected the welfare of our members and continues to undermine the effective functioning of the state-owned university system.”
The union said the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement, described as the first comprehensive pact between both parties since the landmark 2009 agreement, took effect financially on January 1, 2026.
The agreement is said to provide for the payment of the consolidated academic tools allowance (CATA), earned academic allowance (EAA) and professorial allowance to improve lecturers’ welfare and promote excellence in teaching and research.
However, six months after the implementation date, Egbedokun said lecturers in Ondo state-owned tertiary institutions had yet to benefit from the approved allowances, while arrears continued to accumulate.
“What is required is implementation, not prolonged committee engagements that merely postpone government action while lecturers continue to suffer the consequences,” he said.
“The consequences of this persistent delay extend beyond the welfare of lecturers. They directly affect students, research productivity, institutional stability, accreditation outcomes and the overall quality of graduates produced by our institutions.”
The union consequently demanded the immediate implementation of the agreement across all state-owned tertiary institutions, and payment of CATA, EAA and other allowances, as well as the clearance of all arrears dating back to January 1, 2026.
It also urged the government to abandon what it described as unnecessary bureaucratic processes and committee-induced delays, insisting that the agreement required implementation rather than further reviews.
“Failure to act with the urgency demanded by this situation will leave ASUU with no option but to activate all lawful and legitimate actions available within the framework of a trade union to drive home its demands,” Egbedokun warned.
Reacting, Igbekele Ajibefun, Ondo commissioner for education, said the state government had already commenced steps towards implementing the agreement and assured lecturers that action would be taken soon.
“I also want you to know that the agreement was signed by the federal government with ASUU and is to be domesticated by state governments. Most state governments have not also implemented it, so it is not just Ondo state,” Ajibefun said.
“The zone to which Ondo state belongs in ASUU, none of the states has implemented the agreement. But Ondo state is working on the implementation. Ondo state has already taken proactive action on implementation.”
Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.
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