Adekunle Ajasin ASUU chapter vows to disrupt university activities over salaries

By Boye Oyeyemi –

Lecturers at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, have threatened to halt students’ resumption and the forthcoming convocation ceremony if their outstanding salaries remain unpaid.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), AAUA chapter, had embarked on strike last month over the non-payment of salaries and arrears, a development that has paralysed academic and social activities on campus.

ASUU Chairman, Dr Boluwaji Oshodi, accused the state government of failing to address their plight despite repeated appeals.

“We have been patient and tolerant for long, but this time, we won’t be again. Our people have been pushed to the wall,” he said.

Oshodi, who lamented that efforts to meet with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa had failed, also alleged that lecturers had been working under harsh conditions, sometimes conducting examinations “on an empty stomach”.

He further decried the state of infrastructure on campus, accusing the government of neglecting the institution for seven years.

“The access road is in a deplorable state; lecture rooms, hostels, and offices are in bad condition, and most of the visible structures on campus are TETFUND projects,” he added.

Reacting, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, dismissed the claims, saying the government had been engaging the striking lecturers and was committed to resolving the crisis.

He maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa’s administration had been regular with monthly subventions to all state-owned tertiary institutions, including AAUA, and assured that the matter would soon be resolved.