Worried by poor funding of the institution, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on Friday, threatened total showdown against the Ondo state government, describing as pathetic, continuous neglect of the state-owned Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAUA), by successive administrations despite huge yearly budgetary allocations.
At s news Conference held at the AAUA Business School, in Akure, the Chairman of ASUU-AAUA chapter, Dr. Boluwaji Oshodi, accused the state government of starving the university of critical funding, declaring that no capital grant has been released to the university in the last seven years despite annual budgetary provisions, which are not released to the institution’s management.
Oshodi who spoke on behalf of the union, lamented that academic staff members were currently being owed two months’ salaries (August and September 2025) in addition to a backlog of allowances and arrears running into billions of naira.
The ASUU-AAUA however demanded immediate release of special intervention funds to clear outstanding salaries and allowances, as well as an upward review of the university’s monthly subvention to match its wage bill.
According to the ASUU leadership, “the citadel of learning has witnessed serious neglect in the last six years. The major challenge confronting AAUA is inadequate funding, particularly the low monthly subvention and the non-release of capital grants by the Ondo State Government.
“It may amaze you to know that the state government has not released a kobo as capital grant to the university for the past seven years. Meanwhile, the Ondo State House of Assembly appropriates these grants every year.
He however, queried that “the question is, what happens to this money? It is a wonder what happens to the money budgeted annually for the university’s capital projects,”
Oshodi explained that while the university’s monthly salary and overhead obligations stood at over N555 million, the government only provides a subvention of N223 million, leaving the institution with a shortfall of more than N333 million monthly.
Speaking on the infrastructural decay, the ASUU chair noted that lecture halls, laboratories, and libraries were in dire need of rehabilitation.
He specifically said the Faculty of Arts and Faculty of Education buildings were described as inhabitable due to collapsed roofs and waterlogged offices whenever it rained.
He lamented that the withdrawal of TETFund interventions from AAUA had compounded the problem, as the institution now has no reliable source of capital funding.
According to him, the university has relied on internally generated revenue to survive, but the shortfall remains huge.
The union further listed several outstanding obligations owed to its members, including unpaid promotion arrears, minimum wage arrears from 2014 and 2019, cooperative deductions, and unremitted third-party deductions.
On the state of access roads to the institution, the union said both routes linking AAUA to the Owo–Ikare highway were in deplorable conditions, making it difficult for staff, students, and visitors to commute to the university.
Oshodi recalled that after writing several letters to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, it met with the Deputy Governor, Dr. Olayide Adelami, alongside top government officials in June 2025, where it was agreed that a verification team from the Ministry of Finance would visit AAUA within two weeks.
However, according to ASUU, no verification team has come till today, despite several reminders, expressing disappointment in the attitude of the state government towards the plight of the institutions.
The union further faulted what it described as preferential treatment of another tertiary institution in the state, which, according to Oshodi, had benefitted from over N2.5 billion in special interventions from both the late Akeredolu administration and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s government.
“Why should AAUA be left to decay? An institution that has been prudently managed and sustained by the dedication of its academic staff deserves equal attention. What is good for the goose should also be good for the gander,” Oshodi said.
Oshodi said, “While another tertiary institution in the state has received special financial interventions worth over N2.5 billion from both the Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa administrations, AAUA has been completely sidelined. We ask: what has AAUA done wrong or failed to do right?”
ASUU-AAUA therefore called on Governor Aiyedatiwa to urgently release special intervention funds to settle the outstanding salaries and allowances of its members, as well as increase the university’s monthly subvention to reflect its wage bill of over N500 million.
“AAUA is our pride. It is a 21st-century university that deserves support, not neglect. With the prudence and commitment of its managers and staff over the years, this university deserves better,” the union declared.
