ASUU Shuts Down IMSU, Declares Indefinite Strike in Owerri
Academic activities at Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, have been disrupted after the university’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared a total and indefinite strike.
The union announced the industrial action on Monday at a press conference held at the university, with its branch Chairman, Stephen Oguji, and Secretary, Lazarus Chikwendu, outlining the issues behind the decision.
The development has put academic activities at the institution on hold, with the timing also affecting the ongoing 2025/2026 second-semester examination programme.
Reports from the university indicated that the strike disrupted examinations and students were asked to leave classes.
ASUU-IMSU said its decision followed what it described as the failure of the Imo State Government and university management to address a number of outstanding welfare and working-condition issues affecting academic staff.
At the centre of the dispute is the 2025 agreement between ASUU and the Federal Government, signed on December 23, 2025, and scheduled to take effect from January 1, 2026.
According to the union, it had made several efforts to draw the attention of the university authorities to the agreement, including formal presentations, meetings with management and the issuance of a 21-day ultimatum.
The lecturers said those efforts had not produced the desired response.
ASUU further claimed that implementation of the agreement had commenced in some state-owned universities, including institutions in Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun and Sokoto states, while similar action had yet to take place at IMSU.
The union also raised concerns over other outstanding matters, alleging that promotion arrears dating back to 2016 remained unpaid and that some members were owed several months of salaries.
Other grievances listed by the lecturers included what they described as the withholding of 21 months of check-off dues, non-payment of Earned Academic Allowance since 2009 and the continued retention of IMSU in the Treasury Single Account.
The union said the issues were not new, recalling that similar concerns contributed to its strike in 2024.
It said the earlier action was suspended following appeals and assurances from the university management that the matters would be addressed.
With the latest declaration, however, ASUU-IMSU said its members would remain away from work until the 2025 agreement was fully implemented.
The union appealed to the Imo State Government to intervene urgently, while calling on traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, parents, student unions and other stakeholders in the education sector to help bring the dispute to an end.
ASUU-IMSU, however, maintained that it remained committed to dialogue and constructive engagement as the preferred means of resolving the disagreement.
The union said its decision to embark on the strike should not be interpreted as a rejection of negotiation, but as a response to what it considers prolonged neglect of its members’ welfare concerns.
The development adds another layer of uncertainty for IMSU students, particularly those whose academic activities and examinations have been affected by the industrial action.
ASUU-IMSU expressed hope that the relevant authorities would act swiftly to resolve the dispute and enable academic activities to resume.
