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Academic activities at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Ondo State, have once again ground to a complete halt as lecturers under the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) commenced an indefinite strike over the non-payment of May and June 2026 salaries.

The industrial action, which took effect on July 10, 2026, marked the latest in a recurring cycle of labour disputes that have plagued the state-owned institution since Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa assumed office.

The strike comes barely three days after Prof. Tomola Obamuyi formally resumed office as the university’s seventh substantive Vice-Chancellor on July 8, 2026.

The new helmsman, appointed by Aiyedatiwa on June 26 following a selection process involving 15 candidates, walked into a full-blown industrial crisis on his first day.

ASUU-AAUA Chairperson, Comrade Bolu Oshodi, confirmed that the union’s congress of July 10 reaffirmed earlier resolutions adopted on April 28 and June 18, 2026, directing members to withdraw all services.

The union described the action as “total, comprehensive, and indefinite,” vowing that members would not resume teaching, student supervision, meetings, or any official duties until all outstanding salaries are fully paid.

According to findings by The Guardian, the latest strike is at least the fifth major industrial action involving university staff since Aiyedatiwa became governor.

In January 2024, workers of AAUA under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) staged protests that grounded academic activities over the alleged failure of the state government to implement the N35,000 palliative wage award approved by President Bola Tinubu to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

The protests spread across all three state-owned universities, with workers declaring that they were “dying of hunger.”

The most prolonged disruption came in August 2025, when AAUA lecturers embarked on a four-month strike over unpaid salaries and arrears.

The union accused Aiyedatiwa’s administration of neglecting the university and failing to honour commitments made to offset arrears and increase subventions. The strike was only suspended in November 2025.

In October 2025, while the ASUU strike was ongoing, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) of the institution threatened a separate indefinite strike over unpaid salaries, with demands including 54 months of arrears dating back to 2019, 18 months of arrears on salary increments, and two months of minimum wage arrears from 2024.

Now, in July 2026, the cycle has repeated itself, this time with a new Vice-Chancellor, who had
promised innovative and sustainable funding strategies caught in the crossfire.

With the promises facing immediate test, the industrial action has thrown the university’s academic calendar into uncertainty, with second-semester examinations scheduled to begin on July 20 now likely to be postponed.

Multiple letters written by the union to Aiyedatiwa over the salary crisis have yet to receive any official response, according to ASUU officials.

Meanwhile, for the thousands of students at AAUA, the recurring strikes represent a devastating cycle of interrupted dreams and stolen academic years, with each industrial action pushing back graduation dates, disrupting career plans, and plunging families who have invested life savings into university education into despair.

When contacted over the development, the Commissioner for Education in the state, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun stated that “Government is already taking some steps about the strike so that what they are agitating for is handled. Steps are on the end the strike on time.

“This particular strike is not expected to last for long. Efforts are on. On Tuesday, I was with Mr. Governor, we discussed ways to quickly end the strike. Very soon the strike will end.”