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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Akure Zone, has announced a nationwide rally set for Tuesday, August 26, 2025, as part of its ongoing push to get the Federal Government to fulfill long-standing commitments made in the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti on Monday, August 25, the Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Adeola Oyebisi Egbedokun, said the rally marks ASUU’s first major public action in response to what the union describes as years of government inaction and neglect.
According to Egbedokun, ASUU members across universities nationwide will suspend academic activities during the protest, which is expected to hold simultaneously in all zones.
“For over two years, we have remained committed to dialogue and avoided strikes. But that patience is running out. If the government continues to toy with the future of Nigerian universities, it must be ready to face the consequences,” he stated.
Egbedokun revealed that ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) has given the government until its next scheduled meeting on August 28 to respond to the union’s demands. If no tangible progress is made by then, further action will be taken.
Core Demands
ASUU’s demands include:
- Immediate re-negotiation and implementation of the 2009 ASUU-FGN Agreement
- Rejection of the proposed Tertiary Institutions Student Support Fund (TISSF) loan scheme, which the union calls a “debt trap” and “financial coercion”
- An end to the unchecked proliferation of universities
- Improved retirement benefits for academic staff, especially professors
Dr. Egbedokun also appealed to the public and key national stakeholders—such as the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), the National Assembly, traditional rulers, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS)—to intervene and urge the government to act before the situation escalates.
He criticized the government’s neglect of the education sector, particularly the abandonment of the Yayale Ahmed report, continued poor treatment of retired lecturers, and the expansion of universities without proper funding or planning.
“This government has mocked education, disrespected scholars, and endangered the future of the nation. We will not stay silent any longer,” he declared.
Egbedokun closed his address with a stark warning:
“The burden of preventing a full-blown crisis is now on the government. The ball is in their court. They must choose: justice or judgment, action or upheaval, peace or storm.”
