Otti apologises over ABSU strike, vows to tackle bureaucratic bottlenecks

Abia State Governor Alex Otti has apologised to the management and students of Abia State University (ABSU) over the recent industrial action by lecturers, admitting that the strike was avoidable.

Mr Otti spoke on Thursday at a public lecture held at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), ABSU branch, had embarked on an indefinite strike on August 12 over unresolved welfare issues.

The action followed a directive from the union’s national leadership over what it described as the “haphazard implementation” of the 2025 renegotiated agreement between the federal and state governments.

However, Otti said the demands that triggered the strike had already been approved by his administration before the lecturers downed tools.

According to him, bureaucratic delays and administrative bottlenecks prevented the government’s decisions from being implemented promptly.

“I want to, on this podium, apologise to Abia State University as well. That strike was avoidable,” Otti said.

“The reality is that the buck stops here. So, we failed. I failed. I failed them.”