Abia State Governor Otti apologizes for university strike
Governor of Nigeria’s Abia State Alex Otti has apologized for the recent indefinite strike by the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Abia State University (ABSU). He said the strike could have been avoided and took responsibility for the situation.
As Premium Times Nigeria reports, Otti spoke on Thursday at a public lecture at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia, organized to mark the state’s 35th anniversary. The event was themed “The Making of a New Abia.”
Delay in meeting demands
According to the governor, he had previously approved the union’s demands, but their implementation was delayed by bureaucratic procedures. Otti noted that ASUU’s demands were justified and that the financial implications of fulfilling them had already been included in a memorandum submitted to him for consideration.
He questioned the need for an implementation committee if the demands had already been reviewed and approved. The governor expressed concern that administrative procedures could hinder the implementation of government decisions even after the necessary approvals had been granted.
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Otti said the authorities should acknowledge their own mistakes rather than shift responsibility onto workers in the event of administrative failures. He also warned that he would no longer tolerate bureaucratic delays that hinder the implementation of approved decisions, and that responsible officials could face consequences.
Reasons for and end of the strike
The university’s ASUU chapter began an indefinite strike on August 11 after a 14-day ultimatum issued to the institution’s governing council on July 22 expired. Its demands included implementation of the 2025 agreement between Nigeria’s federal government and ASUU, issues of irregular promotions, unremitted cooperative deductions, and academic allowances that had remained unpaid since 2009.
The strike ended after intervention by a committee led by the state government secretary. On August 24, Abia authorities said the outstanding issues had been resolved. Otti also mentioned his administration’s investments in ABSU and the university teaching hospital in the city of Aba.
