DLA faults Aiyedatiwa over AAUA strike, urges payment of lecturers’ salaries

By Boye Oyeyemi

The Democratic Leadership Alliance has criticised the Ondo State Government over the indefinite strike declared by the Academic Staff Union of Universities at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, urging Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to immediately address the salary dispute and restore academic activities.

The political party, in a statement issued by its Ondo State Chairman, Olúwátósìn Àyẹ́ní, blamed the industrial action on the government’s failure to pay outstanding salaries owed to lecturers, warning that the crisis could further disrupt the state’s tertiary education system.

Àyẹ́ní said the continued delay in resolving the dispute had left students, parents and the university community bearing the consequences, despite previous appeals by the union for government intervention.

“The governor’s continued neglect of our universities is not just an administrative failure; it is a deliberate abandonment of the next generation of Ondo State leaders. Payment of salaries should never be politicised. Workers deserve their legitimate earnings without being used as pawns in any political game,” he said.

The party further warned that allowing the strike to persist would weaken the state’s education sector and undermine efforts to produce the skilled workforce needed for socio-economic development.

“We must keep our tertiary institutions alive and functional at all costs. Education is the bedrock of any meaningful development. A government that cannot pay salaries of university lecturers cannot claim to be building a prosperous Ondo State,” Àyẹ́ní added.

The DLA also urged the state government to immediately pay the outstanding salaries, establish a sustainable salary payment system, engage university unions through dialogue and provide adequate funding for the education sector to prevent future industrial disputes.

“The future of Ondo State lies in the quality of education we provide today. We call on the Governor to rise to this occasion, do the needful and restore hope to students, lecturers and the entire academic community,” the party added.