The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Akure Zone, announced on August 25, 2025, that it is mobilizing members nationwide for a rally scheduled for August 26.
This move is part of efforts to pressure the Federal Government to address long-standing demands.
ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Adeola Oyebisi Egbedokun, revealed during a press conference at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti that the rallies are the union’s first decisive response to the government’s continued inaction.
He warned that these protests indicate a warning of what could follow if concerns remain unaddressed.
The rallies will take place simultaneously across universities nationwide, with academic activities suspended during the demonstrations.
The National Executive Council (NEC) of ASUU has given the government until its scheduled meeting on August 28 to respond to the union’s demands. Afterward, the union will determine the next course of action.
ASUU’s key demands include the renegotiation and full implementation of the 2009 ASUU-Federal Government Agreement, halting the proliferation of new universities, and improving retirement benefits for professors and staff.
The union also opposes the Tertiary Institution’s Staff Support Trust Fund (TISSF) loan scheme, describing it as a debt trap.
Egbedokun urged various stakeholders, including the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Traditional Institutions, and the National Assembly, to encourage the government to resolve issues without confrontation.
He accused the government of hypocrisy and neglect, citing abandoned reform reports, the TISSF loan scheme, unchecked university establishments, and poor treatment of retired academics.
Egbedokun emphasized that the responsibility to avert crisis now lies solely with the government, warning that if ignored, ASUU’s protests would escalate.
