LAUTECH: ASUU Begins Indefinite Strike Over Outstanding Staff Entitlements

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) branch, Ogbomoso, has embarked on an indefinite strike over the non-implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement and outstanding staff entitlements. The strike, which took effect at midnight on Thursday, followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the university management without a significant response to the union’s demands.

The union’s members took the decision at an emergency congress held on Wednesday, October 28, to review the outcome of a meeting between its leaders and the university management at the vice chancellor’s office on Tuesday.

The meeting was part of efforts to resolve the dispute and avert a disruption of academic activities but failed to produce the desired outcome.

ASUU announced the strike in a statement dated October 29 and signed by the LAUTECH branch chairperson, Prof. Olujimi Dada, and Secretary, Dr Soji Arinola.

According to the union, the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement was signed in December 2025 and subsequently accepted and approved for implementation by the university’s Governing Council.

However, the council and university management have attributed the delay in fully implementing the agreement to a lack of funds.

The union said it had made several attempts to resolve the dispute through engagements with the university administration, the Governing Council and the Oyo State Government.

It added that it had explored formal and informal channels and participated in consultative meetings to prevent the disagreement from escalating into an industrial crisis.

ASUU maintained that it had consistently favoured dialogue as the most responsible way to resolve disputes in a university environment.

However, it said the efforts failed to yield the desired results, leaving it with no option but to declare an industrial dispute.

With the backing of its National Executive Council (NEC), the LAUTECH branch formally declared a trade dispute with the university on October 14, 2026, and issued a 14-day ultimatum.

The ultimatum demanded the commencement of full implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement and payment of all outstanding staff entitlements, including the balance of Earned Academic Allowance (EAA) and promotion arrears accumulated between 2013 and 2025.

Following the declaration, the university management invited ASUU representatives to a meeting on Tuesday, October 27.

At the meeting, the management reportedly informed the union of efforts to contact the university’s Visitor and Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, to seek his intervention in facilitating the full implementation of the agreement.

ASUU, however, said LAUTECH remained one of only two universities in the South West where the agreement had not been fully implemented.

The union also noted that, within its Ibadan Zone, which comprises the University of Ibadan, University of Ilorin, Osun State University, Kwara State University, LAUTECH and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, only the two tertiary institutions owned by the Oyo State Government were yet to fully implement the agreement.

At its emergency congress on Wednesday, the union reviewed the developments and concluded that the university had failed to provide a satisfactory response to the issues raised in the ultimatum, despite the expiration of the deadline.

Consequently, members resolved to embark on a total and indefinite strike from midnight on October 29.

The union said the action would continue until the university management met its demands.

At the centre of the dispute is ASUU’s demand for the full implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement, including the payment of consequential arrears dating back to January 2026.

The union is also demanding the payment of all outstanding staff entitlements, particularly the balance of EAA and promotion arrears owed for the period between 2013 and 2025.

Beyond the financial issues, ASUU listed several administrative and infrastructural concerns it wants the university management to address.

These include what the union described as distortions in the university’s governance structure, particularly the composition of the Staff Disciplinary Committee.

It also called for the reconstitution of the Committee of Provosts and Deans (COPD), which it said currently operates under the vice chancellor’s office.

Other demands included greater transparency in the university’s electronic voting system, adequate office accommodation for staff and improved infrastructure, particularly facilities relating to the university’s ICT Unit.

Following the commencement of the strike, ASUU directed its members to suspend all academic activities indefinitely.

The suspension covers statutory meetings, lectures, examinations and interactions with students, including teaching and laboratory activities.

The union also instructed members to regard only information and directives issued by the branch chairperson as authentic and to comply with such directives.