Lecturers at the University of Ibadan (UI) and Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, Oyo, under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest, warning President Bola Tinubu to sign the renegotiated agreement with the union by 28 August or risk a full-scale strike across Nigeria’s public universities.
The lecturers, joined by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said they had been "pushed to the wall" by the Federal Government’s prolonged delay in honouring agreements dating back as far as 2009.
The union claimed that only the immediate signing of the agreement during the scheduled August 28 meeting can avert another round of industrial action.
At UI, ASUU Chairman Dr. Adefemi Afolabi led the protest alongside Oyo State NLC Chairman, Mr Kayode Martins.
Simultaneously, at Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, the rally was led by ASUU Chapter Chairman, Dr. Michael Bamidele Ojo.
Armed with placards bearing messages of frustration and demands for justice, the protesting lecturers marched through campus grounds, raising awareness among students, staff, and the broader academic community about the looming threat of another shutdown in the university system.
Dr. Afolabi decried, "the federal government has pushed lecturers to the wall," emphasising a 16-year history of inadequate progress in negotiations that have fuelled low morale, brain drain, and the departure of top academic talent.
He urged, "Only through this action, signing the agreement on 28 August, can the Tinubu administration prevent an impending nationwide industrial crisis across university campuses and fulfil the promises made during the election campaign."
Afolabi appealed to "Nigerians, including opinion leaders, religious and traditional authorities, civil society organisations, parents of our valued students and all stakeholders" to advocate promptly for the agreement’s signing.
Meanwhile, ASUU’s head at Emmanuel Alayande University, Dr. Michael Bamidele Ojo, reiterated the union’s stance, saying, "we can no longer allow the welfare of our members to be subjected to the delay tactics of this Bola Ahmed Tinubu‑led government."
"ASUU therefore invites all genuine patriots to prevail on Nigeria’s governments, including the university administrations, to address all lingering labour issues in the Nigerian University system to avert another looming industrial crisis."
"If the government at all levels fails to address these concerns, ASUU may be forced to take industrial action which could disrupt the academic calendar and have far‑reaching consequences for the university community."
Oyo State NLC Chairman, Mr Kayode Martins, lent his voice to the lecturers’ outcry during the rally.
He implored the President to "preserve those who laid the golden eggs," university lecturers, warning that while politicians "are agitating for more pay when professors are poorly remunerated," the educators shaping the nation’s future continue to suffer.
"Those who lay the golden eggs must be preserved. Education should be given appropriate attention because that is what drives development in any nation."
"We are talking of 2009 agreements unimplemented and today, political office holders are agitating for more salaries when professors are less paid. This should not be. We are beckoning on our leaders to save us if indeed they have a mind for the masses," he stated.
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