The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Imo State University, Owerri Branch, has declared a total and indefinite strike over the refusal of the Imo State government to implement the 2025 agreement between the union and the Federal Government.
At a press conference in Owerri on Monday, the branch Chairman, Stephen Oguji, and Secretary, Lazarus Chikwendu, said the decision followed the alleged failure of the Imo State Government and university management to implement the agreement signed by ASUU and the Federal Government on December 23, 2025, and scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
According to the union, the decision was taken after several engagements with the university administration, including the presentation of the agreement and the issuance of a 21-day ultimatum, yielded no meaningful response.
In an address presented at the press conference, the union said the agreement was reached to improve the welfare of academic staff and address other conditions of service in public universities.
“Recall that ASUU and FG on 23rd December, 2025 signed an agreement for enhanced welfare of academic staff and for other conditions of service in public universities scheduled to take effect from 1st January, 2026,” the union said.
ASUU-IMSU said it had also raised the matter at both national and zonal levels, noting that the Owerri Zone of the union recently called on the Imo State Government to implement the agreement at the university.
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It expressed disappointment that, nearly eight months after the agreement was signed, implementation had yet to commence at IMSU, while similar agreements had reportedly been implemented in some state-owned universities in Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Sokoto states.
The union further alleged that its members were facing several unresolved welfare issues, including non-payment of salaries to some members for several months, unpaid promotion arrears dating back to 2016, withholding of 21 months of check-off dues and non-payment of earned academic allowance (EAA) since 2009.
It also protested the continued retention of IMSU in the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which it described as an erosion of university autonomy.
The union recalled that the unresolved issues had contributed to its decision to embark on a strike in 2024, which was later suspended following appeals and assurances from the university management.
“ASUU-IMSU has therefore today, 10th August, 2026 embarked on a total and indefinite strike and vows never to return to work until the agreement is fully implemented,” the union said.
It called on the Imo State Government to urgently direct the implementation of the 2025 ASUU-Federal Government agreement at IMSU, warning that continued delays could further heighten industrial tension.
The union also appealed to traditional and religious institutions, civil society organisations, parents, student unions and other stakeholders in the education sector to intervene and urge the university’s Visitor to address the grievances.
ASUU-IMSU, however, said it remained committed to dialogue and constructive engagement as mechanisms for resolving the dispute.
It added that its willingness to pursue a peaceful resolution should not be interpreted as acceptance of what it described as the continued denial of the legitimate welfare rights of its members.
News Break Naija
