Better pay and improved welfare remain some of the biggest concerns for university lecturers across Nigeria. In Ondo State, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) says those promises are yet to become reality.
The Akure Zonal Chapter of ASUU has called on the Ondo State Government to implement the financial provisions of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement in all state-owned tertiary institutions.
Speaking with journalists at the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, the union’s Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Adeola Egbedokun, accused the state government of failing to implement the agreement six months after it took effect.
According to him, the agreement was signed on December 23, 2025, and became effective on January 1, 2026, making it the first comprehensive agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU since the 2009 pact.
Egbedokun said the financial provisions include the Consolidated Academic and Research Allowance (CARA), Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and Professorial Allowance, all aimed at improving lecturers’ welfare and supporting teaching and research.
He revealed that ASUU agreed to forfeit more than ₦100 billion in accumulated Earned Academic Allowance arrears on the condition that the allowance would be incorporated into lecturers’ monthly salaries at 10 per cent of their basic pay.
“Regrettably, up till today, the Ondo State Government has failed to implement this agreement. These provisions were carefully negotiated to improve staff welfare, encourage academic productivity and excellence in research, and enhance the quality of university education across the country,” he said.
The union also criticised the state’s decision to set up a committee to review the agreement, arguing that representatives of state-owned universities had already participated in the negotiations that produced the deal.
“What is required is implementation, not prolonged committee engagements that merely postpone government action while lecturers continue to suffer,” Egbedokun said.
He warned that the union could resort to lawful trade union actions if the government fails to act.
Responding to the concerns, Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the government is already working towards implementing the agreement.
He noted, however, that Ondo is not the only state yet to domesticate the pact.
“I am sure that very soon, Ondo State Government will take action on it. The agreement was signed by the Federal Government with ASUU and has to be domesticated by state governments. Most state governments have not also implemented it, so it’s not just Ondo State,” he said.
The implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement has become a key issue in several states, as each government is responsible for funding and adopting its provisions for state-owned universities.
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