ASUU-IMSU Vows to Sustain Strike as Imo Government Denies D

By Atlantic Reports

ASUU Insists Strike Will Continue

The ASUU-IMSU Chairman, Stephen Oguji, said on Monday in Owerri that lecturers would not suspend the strike until the 2025 Federal Government of Nigeria-ASUU Agreement was fully implemented.

Oguji said the union began the industrial action on August 10 to demand improved welfare and better conditions of service under the agreement, which was signed in December 2025 and took effect from January 1, 2026.

He argued that while federal universities and at least 26 state governments had implemented the agreement, IMSU management had failed to address the union’s concerns despite receiving seven official letters.

“False claims do not become truth; ASUU-IMSU is on strike and will not suspend action until concrete, verifiable steps are taken,” he said.

The union maintains that implementation of the agreement is necessary to resolve the dispute and restore normal academic activities.

Union Challenges Examination Schedule

Oguji criticised the university management’s decision to schedule second-semester examinations from October 26, describing it as an attempt to create a false impression that academic activities were proceeding normally.

He alleged that the examinations were being conducted with the involvement of non-academic staff despite the lecturers’ industrial action.

The ASUU chairman also alleged that the Vice-Chancellor had misinformed the university’s Visitor that the union was not on strike, despite warning letters from ASUU’s National Executive Council.

These claims have not been independently established in the information provided.

ASUU Alleges Threats and Salary Withholding

Oguji further alleged that union members had faced threats, arrests and detention during the dispute.

He also claimed that September salaries of academic staff were withheld while non-academic employees received their salaries.

The union said it opposed negotiations that did not produce measurable commitments or implementation timelines.

“We are opposed to dialogue without commitment, assurances without implementation, and promises without measurable results,” Oguji said.

The allegations concerning threats, arrests and salary payments were not accompanied by a response from the university management in the account provided.

Eight Conditions for Resolving the Dispute

Oguji outlined eight minimum conditions the union wants met before the dispute can be resolved.

Among the demands are:

Payment of the revised salary rates under the agreement.
A time-bound memorandum of understanding covering outstanding arrears.
Cancellation of examinations conducted during the strike.
Agreements to prevent victimisation of union members.

The union called on Governor Hope Uzodimma, the university’s Governing Council and other stakeholders to intervene and facilitate substantive negotiations.

Oguji warned that prolonged disagreement could cause further disruption to the university’s academic calendar.

Imo Government Denies Knowledge of Dispute

However, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Oguwike Nwachukwu, denied that there was an unresolved dispute between the state government and ASUU-IMSU.

“I am not aware that IMSU is on strike,” Nwachukwu said.

He also said he was unaware of any breakdown in the relationship between lecturers and the state government.

According to him, lecturers in Imo enjoyed a cordial working relationship with the university administration under Uzodimma’s leadership.

Nwachukwu recalled that during a previous nationwide ASUU strike over wages and allowances, the Imo Government continued paying lecturers when some other states withheld salaries.

“There is no unresolved issue between the academic staff and the State Government to the best of government’s knowledge,” he said.

He maintained that academic activities remained uninterrupted at the institution, pointing to the ongoing examinations.

“If you went to the institution today, you would discover that the school is in session, while examinations are ongoing,” he added.

Nwachukwu said the governor would be willing to facilitate an amicable resolution if the relevant authorities formally brought the issues to his attention.

Uncertainty Over Academic Activities

The opposing accounts leave key questions unanswered, including the extent to which the strike has affected teaching, the circumstances surrounding the scheduled examinations and whether the university management has formally responded to the union’s demands.

The dispute centres on the implementation of the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which provides for revised salary structures, Earned Academic Allowances and other welfare provisions.

A resolution will depend on clarifying the outstanding issues and establishing whether the university management, the state government and the union can agree on concrete steps and a timetable for implementation.

Atlantic Reports: Voices. People. Facts.