Ondo govt, varsity unions reach agreement to end wage dispute

The Ondo State Government and state university unions have agreed to adopt the pay structure and allowances of federal universities.

The agreement followed a series of meetings between officials of the state government, led by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and the leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU).

The latest agreement was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan.

He stated that the development came after weeks of industrial action that disrupted academic and administrative activities across the state-owned universities over unpaid allowances and the non-implementation of agreements reached between the federal government and university-based unions.

In early September, SSANU, NASU and NAAT commenced an indefinite strike in the state, demanding payment of allowances and implementation of the agreements. Subsequently, ASUU embarked on industrial action over the implementation of the 2025 federal government-ASUU agreement and salary-related issues.

The affected Ondo State’s institutions include Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), and the University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED).

“Rising from the meetings, both parties agreed to a comprehensive resolution of all outstanding issues relating to salary adjustments, allowances and other welfare matters,” the statement read.

A major resolution reached at the meeting was the approval by Mr Aiyedatiwa for the full domestication of the federal government-ASUU agreement on the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS) for academic staff of the state-owned universities.

A success from earlier disagreement, outrage 

The development follows previous disagreements between the government and unions over the implementation of the wage agreement.

In August, workers in the state-owned tertiary institutions issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government, demanding implementation of the agreements reached between the Federal Government and university and polytechnic unions. They also demanded payment of outstanding arrears arising from the agreements.

The government subsequently approved a N1.1 billion intervention fund for Adekunle Ajasin University to offset outstanding salary arrears owed its workers. 

However, ASUU maintained that payment of the salary arrears alone would not resolve the dispute, insisting on implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU agreement.

The prolonged dispute also attracted pressure from students. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) suspended a planned protest earlier this month after Governor Aiyedatiwa promised to resolve the issues within two weeks.

Mr Aiyedatiwa, according to Monday’s statement, described education as a priority of his administration and pledged to sustain industrial harmony in the state’s tertiary institutions.

“Our administration will continue to prioritise the welfare of workers, especially in the education sector, because we understand that a motivated workforce is key to academic excellence.

“We have approved the FGN-ASUU pact for our universities because we want our institutions to compete favourably and our staff to be at par with their counterparts elsewhere,” he said.

The government said it would continue to engage stakeholders to ensure that the state’s tertiary institutions remained centres of excellence and avoid incessant industrial actions.

Speaking on behalf of the unions, the ASUU chapter of Adekunle Ajasin University commended the governor for approving the federal government-ASUU agreement for the state-owned universities.