The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has joined the two-week nationwide warning strike declared by the union’s national leadership.

Chairman of ASUU-OAU, Prof. Anthony Odiwe, confirmed the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ile-Ife.

He said the strike, which affects all public universities in Nigeria, followed the Federal Government’s continued failure to meet the union’s long-standing demands despite repeated engagements.

According to him, the 14-day notice issued by ASUU on September 28 had expired without any meaningful response from the government.

Odiwe noted that the union, after a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, observed persistent neglect of the university system and non-implementation of previous agreements signed with the Federal Government.

“We thought this administration would keep to its promise that no strike would disrupt the academic session, but the reverse has been the case,” he said.

The ASUU chairman explained that the union’s current demands include the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU agreement, payment of the withheld three and a half months’ salaries, and sustainable funding of public universities.

Other demands, he said, include payment of outstanding 25–35% salary arrears, release of withheld third-party deductions such as cooperative contributions, and payment of promotion arrears spanning four to seven years.

Odiwe said ASUU could no longer remain silent while its members continued to suffer despite years of cooperation with the government.

He also condemned the delay in addressing the welfare and working conditions of university lecturers, as well as the government’s failure to act on recommendations submitted by its own committee on funding and autonomy.

“The government should stop threatening our members with the ‘no work, no pay’ policy. Our salaries are already inadequate to meet basic needs, let alone serve as compensation for our labour,” he added.

The union, Odiwe stressed, is calling for the revitalisation of public universities, improved infrastructure, and a conducive environment for both staff and students, urging the government to respond swiftly to its demands to avert a prolonged shutdown of the education system.