…SSANU accuses Aiyedatiwa of broken promises as ASUU strike lingers
Crisis is brewing at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, as members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries, arrears, and poor funding of the institution.
The association’s threat comes amid an ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which since August has downed tools over similar grievances.
Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) at AAUA, Comrade Olutayo Ogungbeni, told reporters on Thursday that staff were tired of waiting endlessly for government intervention.
He accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of reneging on promises made in June 2025 to clear outstanding arrears and improve subventions to state-owned tertiary institutions.
“The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), AAUA, may commence industrial action if all outstanding salaries are not paid.
The last salary collected was in July, and now we are in October. We have been patient enough,” Ogungbeni declared.
According to him, SSANU members are being owed more than two months’ salaries, while several arrears dating back to 2019 remain unsettled.
He noted that the current subvention to AAUA is insufficient to meet obligations, particularly the implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage.
Ogungbeni listed the union’s demands to include:
Payment of 54 months’ arrears of 2019
Payment of 18 months’ arrears of the 25%/35% salary increment
Payment of two months’ arrears of the 2024 minimum wage
Payment of promotion arrears for 2022, 2023, and 2024
Immediate payment of August and September 2025 salaries
He stressed that while ASUU’s strike had already crippled teaching activities, a SSANU strike would ground administrative and support services, shutting down the university completely.
“The neglect of AAUA is unacceptable. Staff have endured hardship for too long, and we can no longer continue this way,” he added.
Efforts to get the reaction of the State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, proved abortive, as he neither picked calls nor responded to messages sent to him.
Recall that the state government had earlier said it was making frantic efforts to avert industrial action at AAUA, following warnings from unions that resumption of students and the forthcoming convocation could be disrupted.
