ASUU asks Aiyedatiwa to implement agreement with FG

The Akure Zonal Chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on the Ondo State Government to implement the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement in all state-owned tertiary institutions. Lecturers expressed dismay over the state government's alleged failure to implement the financial aspects of the agreement, six months after it became effective.

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The union has agreed to forfeit over N100 billion in accumulated EAA arrears owed by the Federal Government on the condition that the allowance would be mainstreamed into lecturers’ monthly salaries at 10 per cent of their basic pay.

Adeola Egbedokun, the Akure Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, stated that the government's inaction is detrimental to lecturers' welfare and the quality of higher education in Ondo State. He alleged that despite receiving and understanding the agreement's obligations, the state government has not adopted or implemented its provisions, leading to accumulated arrears for lecturers.

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Regrettably, up till today, the Ondo State Government has failed to implement this agreement. These provisions were carefully negotiated to improve staff welfare, encourage academic productivity and excellence in research, and enhance the quality of university education across the country.

The 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, signed on December 23, 2025, and effective January 1, 2026, includes financial provisions such as the Consolidated Academic and Research Allowance, Earned Academic Allowance, and Professorial Allowance. ASUU noted that the union agreed to forfeit over N100 billion in Earned Academic Allowance arrears from the Federal Government on the condition that the allowance would be mainstreamed into monthly salaries at 10 percent of basic pay.

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There is no justification for the delay, because the state governments possess the authority, responsibility and financial capacity to implement the agreement.

Egbedokun emphasized that there is no justification for the delay, as state governments possess the authority, responsibility, and financial capacity to implement the agreement. He pointed out that Ondo State, being a leading oil-producing state in the South-West and a recipient of the 13 percent derivation fund, should have been among the first to comply. ASUU also condemned the state government's decision to form a committee to review the already negotiated agreement, deeming it unnecessary since state university representatives participated in its creation. The union insists on implementation rather than prolonged committee engagements that delay government action and prolong lecturers' suffering.

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What is required is implementation, not prolonged committee engagements that merely postpone government action while lecturers continue to suffer. If the Federal Government has already signed and implemented the agreement and several states have commenced implementation, what exactly is Ondo State constituting another committee for?