Ondo State vs AAUA lecturers: Another chapter in Nigeria’s broken education system

As students of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), prepared for resumption and the forthcoming convocation this October, hope was once again overpowered by uncertainty. 

In less than two months, lecturers at the Ondo State–owned institution are again threatening to disrupt academic activities over unpaid salaries, plunging thousands of students into the same old nightmare: the Nigerian university strike cycle. 

The Ondo State Government has denied abandoning the institution, insisting it remains committed to funding education. But AAUA’s lecturers tell a different story: one of months of arrears and broken promises. For many Nigerian parents and students, this feels like déjà vu.

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AAUA’s Salary Crisis: How Did We Get Here?

The AAUA chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is demanding immediate payment of outstanding salaries. According to lecturers, their patience has run thin after repeated delays and neglect from the government.

The government, however, insists the university is not abandoned and funding is ongoing. But it is not the first time AAUA has faced disruption due to unpaid wages, and sadly, it may not be the last.

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The Cost: Students and Parents Caught in the Crossfire

Behind every strike is a generation of Nigerian students whose futures are put on hold. At AAUA, undergraduates now face the possibility of missing yet another semester. For some, this means delayed transcripts, graduation, and NYSC mobilisation.

For others, it means wasted tuition fees and emotional stress. Parents, who often make unimaginable sacrifices to send their children to university, are left disillusioned. As they propose, strike disposes. 

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In a country already battling high youth unemployment, every disruption to education widens the gap between ambition and opportunity. This is why many Nigerian students no longer wait; they are leaving. 

The “Japa” (immigration) wave through educational means is not just about jobs abroad; it’s also about escaping a broken education system at home.

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The Ondo State Government insists it is not neglecting AAUA. Officials point to ongoing support and argue that the lecturers’ threats are exaggerated. But for the men and women who have not been paid, denial does not solve hunger, nor does it pay their bills.

This back-and-forth highlights a deeper Nigerian problem: the politics of education. Government after government makes grand promises about prioritising learning, but when it’s time to pay lecturers, fund infrastructure, or equip labs, excuses pile up.

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AAUA’s Struggle Is Nigeria’s Struggle

AAUA is not an isolated case. Nigerian universities face similar challenges: chronic underfunding, unpaid salaries, deteriorating facilities, and endless ASUU vs. FG battles.

Year after year, the education budget remains too small to solve systemic problems. Nigeria still struggles to allocate the right amount for education. Instead, billions are diverted into political projects, while the futures of millions of students are left unattended.

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The consequence of this brouhaha is a vicious cycle of half-baked graduates, poor research output, and frustrated lecturers leaving Nigeria in droves. The tragedy is that we know the solutions: consistent funding, prioritising salaries, and making education reform an absolute political priority. What we lack is the political will.

It is time for the Ondo State Government to resolve AAUA’s crisis, not with press statements but with salaries paid in full and on time. It is time for Nigeria as a whole to stop treating education as a burden and start treating it as the foundation of progress.