By Anita John 
- ASUU-AAUA says the university suffers from years of neglect.
- Lecturers insist funding shortfalls and unpaid salaries have crippled operations.
- Union faults State Assembly for failing to check executive inaction.
Academic activities at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), remain grounded, with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) warning that the crisis may worsen as they accuse the Ondo State government of abandoning the institution.
The lecturers, who began the action in August 2025 over two months of unpaid salaries and other arrears, allege that the Ondo State government has turned a blind eye to the worsening condition of the institution.
At a press briefing in Akure, the Chairman of ASUU-AAUA, Dr. Boluwaji Oshodi, said that despite a series of meetings before the strike, the Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led administration had failed to honour agreements reached with the union.
He explained that the university faced inadequate funding, pointing in particular to poor monthly subvention and the lack of capital grants needed for development and daily operations.
Oshodi stated that the neglect had seriously affected the welfare of academic staff, describing the access roads leading to the university as deplorable, noting that both routes connecting to the Owo-Ikare highway were barely motorable.
He also revealed that lecture rooms, laboratories, and the library required urgent facelifts, while lecturers’ offices had become almost uninhabitable.
He pointed out that buildings such as the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Education had leaking roofs and collapsing structures, forcing some staff to abandon their offices whenever it rained.
According to him, the state government had not released any capital grant to AAUA for the past seven years, even though the State Assembly continued to appropriate funds annually.
The union leader said the university had previously relied on TETFund intervention for infrastructural development but had been cut off from such support under the last administration. This, he argued, had accelerated the decay of facilities on campus.
Oshodi further criticised the proliferation of universities in Ondo State, saying the establishment of multiple institutions without proper funding undermined the quality of education. He added that the failure of the State Assembly to carry out adequate oversight had emboldened the executive to starve AAUA of resources.
ASUU warned that unless lawmakers stepped up to their constitutional responsibilities, the university risked collapse under the weight of unpaid salaries, unremitted taxes, and abandoned infrastructure.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is a national union of university lecturers in Nigeria. It is known for industrial actions to press for better funding of universities, improved staff welfare, and protection of academic standards.
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