By Adeyinka Adeniran
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Alayande University of Education (EAUED), Oyo Branch, has announced the suspension of its ongoing strike action From Monday, November 9, following a direct promise by Governor Seyi Makinde to address the grievances of the academic staff within two to three weeks.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the ASUU-EAUED Chairman, Dr. Michael Ojo, the Union said the decision to suspend the industrial action was taken in good faith to give room for the Governor’s intervention and protect the interest of the students.
Dr. Ojo disclosed that the crisis began to shift when the union leadership had a face-to-face meeting with Governor Makinde, who serves as the Visitor to the institution, on October 30, 2026.
“We believed that it was because the Union was unable to meet with Engr. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde that led to the non-implementation of the FGN-ASUU Agreement and the delay in the increase in our University subvention.
“All along, our cries, letters, ultimatums and appeals were passing through intermediaries. But on 30th October, 2026, the Union leadership met with him face-to-face. He heard us directly. He saw our pain. He understood our plight. And once the Union leadership has met with him, the Union is confidently sure that the Governor will do the needful before the expiration of the two weeks that he pleaded for,” Ojo stated.
“All along, our cries, letters, ultimatums and appeals were passing through intermediaries. But on 30th October, 2026, the Union leadership met with him face-to-face. He heard us directly. He saw our pain. He understood our plight. And once the Union leadership has met with him, the Union is confidently sure that the Governor will do the needful before the expiration of the two weeks that he pleaded for,” Ojo stated.
The union chairman lamented the severe conditions under which academic staff at the institution have been operating, noting that while federal universities and neighboring state institutions in Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti, Lagos, and Kwara have implemented the signed 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, EAUED and LAUTECH have been left behind.
He pressed for the inclusion of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowances (CATA) in their next salary and the immediate payment of all accrued arrears from January 2026, along with unpaid Earned Academic Allowance, Professorial Allowance, Hazard Allowance, Medical Allowance, and promotion arrears.
He pressed for the inclusion of the Consolidated Academic Tools Allowances (CATA) in their next salary and the immediate payment of all accrued arrears from January 2026, along with unpaid Earned Academic Allowance, Professorial Allowance, Hazard Allowance, Medical Allowance, and promotion arrears.
“Our members go to lecture rooms hungry. They teach on empty stomachs. They trek to work because they cannot afford transport. They borrow to feed their families. They cannot afford drugs when they fall sick. If a lecturer collapses in the lecture room today, it will not be because he is lazy — it will be because he has been starved, neglected and pushed beyond human endurance.
“We appeal to His Excellency: do not let that happen. Do not let a lecturer die of hunger while serving his State,” he said.
Dr. Ojo further pointed out that the university remains the primary destination for the common man, cautioning against actions that would disrupt the academic lives of students from humble backgrounds.
“Emmanuel Alayande University of Education Oyo is the university of the common man. The students we teach are largely the children of the poor such as farmers, traders, artisans, civil servants, widows and pensioners who struggle to pay school fees.
“When lecturers are not paid, when the University is not funded, when the system is allowed to collapse, it is not the children of the rich who suffer because they are in private universities abroad. It is the children of the poor who suffer,” he emphasized.
In addition to respecting the Governor’s word and the appeals from the University Administration, the ASUU branch chairman noted that the union considered the fate of newly admitted students following the National Universities Commission (NUC) approval of 20 new academic programmes for the university.
“We do not want to shut the door against them. We want to make it clear: ASUU is not a strike-monger. Strike is always our last resort,” Ojo said.
However, the union sounded a warning that it would not hesitate to resume the industrial action if the Oyo state government fails to fulfill its promises within the stipulated timeframe.
“If the government fails to fulfil the promise made on 30th October, 2026 within the two to three weeks promised, the Union will have no option than to resume the strike action. We have suspended, we have not surrendered. We have given peace a chance. The ball is now in the court of the government,” Dr. Ojo warned.
