ASUU-AAUE strike linked to national industrial action, not refusal by VC to pay salaries

Kingsley Ohens reporting 

The ongoing industrial action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma (AAU), should not be misconstrued as a dispute arising simply from an alleged refusal by the university’s Vice-Chancellor to pay workers’ salaries, available records indicate.

The clarification has become necessary following comments attributed to Bob Manuel concerning the development at the university, which have generated concerns over the circumstances surrounding the strike and the financial commitments of the Edo State Government to the institution.

The present ASUU-AAUE industrial action is linked to a broader dispute between the union and the Federal Government over the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement. The AAU chapter’s action followed directives and processes initiated within the national structure of ASUU, rather than being an isolated decision based solely on the university management’s payment of salaries.

ASUU’s national leadership had authorised industrial action involving branches in several universities, including Ambrose Alli University. Following the expiration of the union’s ultimatum, the AAU chapter proceeded with its own industrial action over the implementation of the agreement and related arrears.

Against this backdrop, reducing the situation to an allegation that the Vice-Chancellor or the Edo State Government simply refused to pay salaries risks presenting an incomplete picture of the issues involved.

Government increases AAU monthly subvention

Equally significant is the financial commitment of the administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo to Ambrose Alli University.

Under the present administration, the university’s monthly subvention has reportedly risen from approximately ₦41 million to ₦500 million.

The increase represents more than a tenfold rise in the institution’s regular monthly government funding and constitutes a substantial intervention in the finances of the state-owned university.

Beyond the increased monthly subvention, the Edo State Government also approved an additional ₦1 billion intervention aimed at addressing outstanding salary obligations and reducing the backlog of arrears owed to university workers.

University management subsequently confirmed that funds received for the intervention were applied toward the payment of outstanding salary obligations.

These interventions are important in assessing the present situation at AAU, particularly against the background of the university’s longstanding financial difficulties.

AAU crisis predates present administration

Available historical records also indicate that Ambrose Alli University’s financial challenges did not begin with the Okpebholo administration.

In March 2024, ASUU-AAU raised concerns over salary arrears, alleging that some academic staff had been owed salaries for periods extending to 26 months under the previous administration.

Earlier, in March 2023, former Governor Godwin Obaseki acknowledged the financial difficulties confronting the university, including substantial debts and outstanding salary and pension obligations.

The historical context is therefore important. While the present administration remains responsible for addressing the challenges it inherited, attributing the entire salary crisis at AAU to the current government would overlook the financial difficulties that had accumulated over several years.

The administration’s increased subvention and additional intervention do not, of course, mean that every challenge confronting the university has been resolved. Questions relating to funding, staff welfare, institutional administration and the implementation of agreements still require sustained engagement among the state government, university management and the relevant unions.

However, those issues are better addressed through facts, dialogue and accountability than through claims that could give the public the impression that the current ASUU strike was triggered solely by a refusal of the Vice-Chancellor to pay salaries.

The need for facts and constructive engagement

Ambrose Alli University remains one of Edo State’s most important public institutions, and the continuation of industrial action has implications not only for academic and non-academic staff but also for thousands of students and their families.

For this reason, all parties have a responsibility to ensure that public communication surrounding the crisis is accurate and properly contextualised.

The central facts are that the university has faced a longstanding financial crisis; the present administration has substantially increased its monthly subvention from about ₦41 million to ₦500 million; an additional ₦1 billion intervention was approved to address outstanding salary arrears; and the current ASUU-AAUE industrial action is connected to the wider national dispute over the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement.

These issues should be considered together in any responsible assessment of the situation at the university.

What AAU needs at this moment is not the politicisation of its difficulties but constructive engagement capable of producing a sustainable resolution.

The Edo State Government, university management and ASUU have different responsibilities within the system. Their common responsibility, however, is to protect the integrity of Ambrose Alli University, safeguard the welfare of its workforce and ensure that students can return to a stable academic environment.

The history of AAU’s financial difficulties should therefore be presented honestly, while the interventions of the present administration should equally be assessed on their merits.

Ambrose Alli University belongs to the people of Edo State. Its challenges should unite stakeholders around solutions rather than become another arena for political contestation.

The facts should guide the conversation, accountability should remain paramount, and constructive engagement should be the pathway toward restoring stability to Ambrose Alli University.

August 25, 2026