Ondo University Workers End Four-Week Strike After Governor Steps In

Workers at Ondo State-owned universities are heading back to work after four weeks of strike action. The Joint Action Committee of the Ondo State-owned Tertiary Institutions (JAC-ODSTI) suspended the strike following a financial intervention by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.

The unions began the indefinite strike on 2 September, citing unpaid allowances and the failure to implement the federal wage agreements. The action affected Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; and the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo.

Members told to resume on Tuesday

In a statement issued on Monday, the committee's Chairman, Tayo Ogungbeni, and Secretary, Kunle Akinwonmi, announced that the strike was suspended with effect from Tuesday, 29 September 2026. All members were directed to return to their duties that day.

JAC-ODSTI is made up of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT). The statement did not say how much money the governor's intervention involved.

The committee thanked the governor for stepping in. It also acknowledged the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Igbekele Amos Ajibefun, and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Duties and Union Matters, Comrade Bola Taiwo. Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the general public were also thanked for their roles in resolving the impasse, which the unions said had hurt the education sector.

A warning to university managements

The unions did not treat the matter as fully settled. They appealed to the management of the universities to act quickly on the non-financial parts of the agreement between the Federal Government and the unions. Without that, they warned, another strike could follow.

The suspension was also confirmed by Boluwaji Oshodi, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch at Adekunle Ajasin University. "Yes, the strike has been suspended," he said on Monday.

For students at the three universities, the suspension means lectures and other campus services can pick up again after a month of disruption.