Just when students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), were preparing for their second-semester examinations, another strike has brought academic activities to a standstill.
Lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have begun an indefinite strike over the non-payment of their May and June 2026 salaries.
The industrial action, which took effect on July 10, marks another disruption in a series of labour disputes that have affected the Ondo State-owned university in recent years.
The strike also comes only days after Prof. Tomola Obamuyi resumed office as AAUA’s seventh substantive Vice-Chancellor on July 8, following his appointment by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on June 26.
Confirming the development, ASUU-AAUA Chairperson, Comrade Bolu Oshodi, said the union’s congress reaffirmed resolutions reached on April 28 and June 18, directing members to withdraw all academic and official services.
According to the union, the strike is “total, comprehensive and indefinite,” with lecturers refusing to teach, supervise students, attend meetings or carry out any official duties until all outstanding salaries are paid.
The latest action is the fifth major industrial dispute involving the university since Governor Aiyedatiwa assumed office.
In January 2024, workers under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) shut down academic activities over the alleged failure to implement the ₦35,000 wage award introduced to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.
The university also witnessed a four-month ASUU strike in 2025 over unpaid salaries and arrears before the action was suspended in November of that year.
During the same period, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) threatened its own indefinite strike, demanding the payment of salary arrears and other outstanding entitlements.
Now, another industrial action has cast fresh uncertainty over the university’s academic calendar.
With second-semester examinations scheduled to begin on July 20, many students are now unsure when they will return to classrooms or complete the session.
ASUU officials said several letters sent to Governor Aiyedatiwa over the salary issue have yet to receive an official response.
However, the Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, said the government is already working to resolve the crisis.
“Government is already taking some steps about the strike so that what they are agitating for is handled. Steps are on to end the strike on time.
“This particular strike is not expected to last for long. Efforts are on. On Tuesday, I was with Mr. Governor, we discussed ways to quickly end the strike. Very soon the strike will end,” he said.
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