The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has shut down Imo State University, IMSU, Owerri, declaring an indefinite strike over unmet welfare agreements.
The union said its action was triggered by the failure to implement the 2025 agreement reached between ASUU and the Federal Government.
ASUU-IMSU said the agreement, signed on December 23, 2025, was designed to improve the welfare and working conditions of academic staff across public universities.
It was expected to take effect from January 1, 2026. However, the union claimed that IMSU had yet to implement the agreement despite repeated appeals and consultations.
The branch also accused the university management and Imo State Government of ignoring a 21-day ultimatum issued over the matter.
According to the lecturers, several meetings and formal presentations of the agreement produced no meaningful action.
The union said the situation had become more frustrating because some state-owned universities in Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Sokoto had started implementing the agreement.
ASUU-IMSU also listed several outstanding issues that it said had worsened the working conditions of its members.
These include unpaid promotion arrears dating back to 2016, delayed salaries for some lecturers, and 21 months of withheld check-off dues.
The union further alleged that earned academic allowances had not been paid since 2009.
It also protested the continued placement of IMSU under the Treasury Single Account, describing the arrangement as an infringement on the university’s autonomy.
ASUU said some of the unresolved issues were responsible for its 2024 industrial action, which was suspended after the university management appealed to the union and promised to address the concerns.
However, the lecturers said the failure to resolve the outstanding matters had left them with little choice but to resume industrial action.
The branch declared that its members would remain away from work until the 2025 ASUU-Federal Government agreement was fully implemented at the university.
The union urged the Imo State Government to intervene immediately, warning that prolonged inaction could further increase tension within the institution.
ASUU-IMSU also appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups, parents, student bodies and other education stakeholders to pressure the authorities to resolve the dispute.
The lecturers, however, stressed that they remained open to dialogue and negotiations as a means of ending the crisis.
They said their willingness to engage authorities should not be interpreted as acceptance of what they described as continued neglect of their legitimate welfare demands.
The strike was declared on Monday, August 10, 2026, during a press conference addressed by the branch leadership at the university in Owerri.
Branch Chairman Stephen Oguji and Secretary Lazarus Chikwendu announced the decision, saying the action would continue until the union’s demands were addressed.