Students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, took their frustration over a 68-day industrial action to the streets on Thursday, demanding the immediate reopening of the institution.
The protest, which disrupted movement around the university’s main gate along the Owo-Ikare Expressway, is reflective of the growing anxiety among students who said the prolonged closure had stalled academic activities and created particular uncertainty for those approaching graduation.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough” and “NASU, NAAT, SSANU have joined strike”, the protesters called on the Ondo State Government and other parties to resolve the dispute and restore academic activities.
The action followed a disagreement over the implementation of the Federal Government and university workers’ agreement on staff welfare. The unions involved include the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASUU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
Speaking during the demonstration, the Students’ Union Government President, Folagbade Ayoola, said the students had endured enough disruption and could no longer watch their education suffer.
“We cannot keep silent because we are really facing challenges in our university. Imagine students having to pay school fees while lecturers’ salaries are not being paid,” Ayoola said.
He explained that ASUU had submitted its demands to the government, but the failure to secure the required response eventually resulted in the indefinite industrial action.
According to Ayoola, the students would continue to pursue lawful avenues for a settlement until the dispute is resolved.
The SUG General Secretary, Oluwatimileyin Amos, described the prolonged closure as a source of hardship, particularly for students whose academic programmes are nearing completion.
“We have been on strike for 68 days now and something needs to be done. We need an immediate resolution and action because our students are suffering,” Amos said.
While students were protesting, the state government announced that it had paid the outstanding balance of the August arrears of the new subvention to state-owned tertiary institutions.
The disclosure came in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Ebenezer Adeniyan.
The government said the payment marked the beginning of the implementation of a 60 per cent increase in subventions to the institutions, with the additional funding intended to meet salary obligations and improve workers’ welfare.
“Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa therefore appeals to the striking unions of the institutions to, in good faith, call off the strike and return to work in the interest of our students and the overall development of the state,” the statement said.
The government’s position places the latest payment at the centre of efforts to end the prolonged dispute, while students continue to bear the consequences of the shutdown.
For the protesters, however, the immediate priority is a return to classrooms after more than two months of academic inactivity.
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