The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Benin Zone, on Monday, June 29, 2026, threatened to shut down academic activities indefinitely across seven state-owned universities in Edo, Delta and Ondo states if the 2025 Federal Government/ASUU Agreement is not implemented in the July salary payment.
The affected institutions are Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; Delta State University, Abraka; University of Delta, Agbor; Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba; and Southern Delta University, Ozoro.
Addressing journalists in Benin on Monday, the ASUU Benin Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Monday Igbafen, said the union had exhausted all avenues of engagement with the governments of the three states without any meaningful outcome.
He noted that while all federal universities and 10 state-owned universities had implemented the agreement, lecturers in the affected institutions were yet to enjoy its benefits.
Igbafen said the July salaries of members must reflect the Consequential Adjustment of the Total Consolidated Academic Allowance and other entitlements contained in the agreement, while arrears dating back to January 2026 must also be paid.
He warned that failure by the three state governments to comply would trigger a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike.
“We state, with all sense of responsibility, that any failure or further prevarication by the three state governments will inevitably provoke a total, comprehensive and indefinite industrial action,” he said.
“ASUU remains committed to industrial peace in our universities. However, peace without justice is a mirage. The only path to lasting harmony is the immediate and full implementation of the agreement beginning with the July salary.”
The union urged the governors of Edo, Delta and Ondo states to act immediately to prevent a shutdown of academic activities.
Igbafen described the continued non-implementation of the agreement as unjust, accusing the affected state governments of failing to provide the financial backing required for its execution.
He added that lecturers had waited six months for the implementation of the agreement but had been met with “trivialisation and disregard.”
According to him, ASUU congresses in the affected universities have begun full mobilisation for an indefinite strike over the governments’ failure to honour the agreement.
