The striking members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA) Chapter in Ondo State have decried what they described as the deplorable state of infrastructure and gross underfunding of the state-owned institution under the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led administration.
The union members, currently on strike over alleged non-payment of salaries and arrears, said the continued neglect of the university had severely affected the welfare of academic staff and crippled the institution’s growth
Addressing journalists in Akure, the AAUA-ASUU Chairperson, Comrade Boluwaji Oshodi, lamented that the university had suffered “serious neglect” from successive governments in the past six years, especially, in terms of funding, which has resulted in a huge backlog of salary arrears and allowances running into billions of naira.
Oshodi explained that several meetings were held with the university management to resolve the issues until it became clear that the root problem was “inadequate funding,” citing low monthly subventions and the non-release of capital grants by the state government.
He noted that ASUU had written several letters dated May 3 and June 10, 2025, requesting a meeting with Governor Aiyedatiwa but received no positive response
According to Oshodi, classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and lecturers’ offices have become inhabitable, with leaking roofs and collapsed structures worsening the learning environment.
“The neglect of the university has greatly affected the welfare of the academic staff of this great university. The following are currently being experienced by the University: Bad access road to the university – There are two roads linking the University to the Owo-Ikare major highway. The two roads are in deplorable conditions such that it is difficult to believe that they actually lead to a university.
“Poor infrastructure in the university: Lecture rooms, laboratories, and library need some urgent face lift. Lecturers’ offices are the worst hit. The faculty of Arts, a two-storey building, for example, has been abandoned by staff accommodated on the second floor because the inner roofs of most offices have collapsed and are usually flooded anytime it rains. The same thing is happening to the Faculty of Education. The roof is leaking, making the offices on the last floor become inhabitable anytime it rains,” he said.
He further revealed that the state government had not released any capital grants to the university in the past seven years, despite yearly budgetary appropriations by the State House of Assembly.
The ASUU chair also revealed that since the withdrawal of TETfund intervention by the immediate past administration, the institution had witnessed a severe infrastructural decline.
He noted that the current monthly subvention of N223,125,000 was far below the N555–N600 million required for salaries and overheads.
Oshodi added that although the government once invited the university management led by Vice-Chancellor Prof. Olugbenga Ige for a meeting where it was agreed that a verification team from the Ministry of Finance would visit the school by July 2025.
However, he noted that no such visit had taken place.
“After over two months of waiting, the state government has neither sent the verification team nor invited the union for any further talks. As of today, October 3, 2025, our members are being owed two months’ salary (August and September 2025), in addition to huge outstanding arrears,” he said.
He listed the outstanding liabilities as Excess workload arrears (2009–2013: 70%, 2014–2020: 100%) – Over ₦4.5bn, promotion/annual increment arrears (2021/2022)- N65m, promotion/annual increment arrears (2022/2023)-N200m outstanding minimum wage arrears (2014)-N276,664,779.96, Outstanding minimum wage arrears (2019)- N1,939,346,017.32, third-party deductions (March–August 2025)- over N24m, cooperative deductions-NOver N102,142,742.10
Oshodi, therefore, called on Governor Aiyedatiwa to urgently intervene and salvage the institution from what he described as “looming total collapse.”
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof Igbekele Ajibefun, told The Nation that the issues raised by the striking lecturers were being addressed.
Ajibefun, who pleaded with the ASUU members to exercise patience with the government, added that the Governor Aiyedatiwa led administration has been investing much in education in the state.
“We shall be meeting the lecturers and union leaders soon to address these issues. One thing is that the governor is a lover of education and he is not relenting in investing in the sector. So, all their grievances would be resolved soon,” he said.
Credit: Thenation
