Ondo tertiary institutions' umbrella union disowns agreement on wage dispute

The Joint Action Congress of Ondo State Tertiary Institutions (JAC-ODSTI) has rejected the agreement reached between some unions and the state government regarding the implementation of the federal government/unions agreement.

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JAC-ODSTI said that it would resist any attempt by the state government to adopt divide and rule among its members, insisting that the ongoing strike would continue until all demands are met.

This is contained in a statement jointly signed by Tayo Ogungbeni, JAC-ODSTI chairman, and Kunle Akinwonmi, secretary, was shared with journalists in Okitipupa, Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.

JAC-ODSTI comprise Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAUA), Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, and University of Medical Sciences, (UNIMED), Ondo State.

PREMIUM TIMES reported a statement from Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, saying state government officials, led by the governor, reached an agreement with the unions in the state-owned universities to adopt the pay structure and allowances of federal universities.

The statement said the governor and the leaderships of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), SSANU, NAAT and NASU struck the deal during a meeting on Monday.

Rejecting the agreement on Tuesday, JAC-ODSTI lamented that only ASUU of Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) attended the meeting with the state government where the agreement was made.

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It added that ASUU can not negotiate on behalf of other unions in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

“Our attention has been drawn to a press release by the state government that agreement has been reached with all the striking unions in all the state-owned universities.

“We wish to inform the good people of the state that SSANU, NASU, and NAAT of AAUA, OAUSTECH and UNIMED were not part of that agreement, as only ASUU of AAUA can not negotiate on behalf of other unions in other universities.

“It is now clear that the state government is using divide and rule tactics in order to break our ranks, but this will fail woefully.

“We shall resist the plan of the state government to demoralise our members in whatsoever form.

“We stand on our demands for the payment of the FGN/Unions Agreement with effect from August 2026 and payment of the outstanding arrears from January, 2026 till date,” the unions said.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that academic and non-academic unions in the Ondo State-owned universities are currently on a total and indefinite strike over unpaid allowances to members.

Background

It started in August, when workers in the state-owned tertiary institutions issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government, demanding implementation of the agreements reached between the federal government and university and polytechnic unions. They also demanded payment of outstanding arrears arising from the agreements.

In early September, SSANU, NASU and NAAT commenced an indefinite strike in the state, demanding payment of allowances and implementation of the agreements. Subsequently, ASUU embarked on industrial action over the implementation of the 2025 federal government-ASUU agreement and salary-related issues.

The affected Ondo State’s institutions include Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), and the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED).

The government subsequently approved a N1.1 billion intervention fund for Adekunle Ajasin University to offset outstanding salary arrears owed its workers.

However, ASUU maintained that payment of the salary arrears alone would not resolve the dispute, insisting on implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement.

READ ALSO: NAFDAC confirms 48 deaths, 182 cases of illness linked to toxic herbal concoction in Ondo

The prolonged dispute also attracted pressure from students. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) suspended a planned protest earlier this month after Governor Aiyedatiwa promised to resolve the issues within two weeks.

Mr Aiyedatiwa, according to Monday’s statement, said, “We have approved the FGN-ASUU pact for our universities because we want our institutions to compete favourably and our staff to be at par with their counterparts elsewhere.”

The government said it would continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that the state’s tertiary institutions remained centres of excellence and avoid incessant industrial actions.

Speaking on behalf of the unions, the ASUU chapter of Adekunle Ajasin University commended the governor for approving the federal government-ASUU agreement for the state-owned universities.

(NAN)