ASUU Threatens Fresh Strike at Niger Delta University Over Unmet Agreements

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Niger Delta University (NDU) has raised the alarm over a possible indefinite strike, accusing the Bayelsa State Government of failing to honour key commitments made after the union's last industrial action was called off. While lectures and academic activities remain ongoing for now, the union says its members are ready to down tools the moment ASUU's national leadership gives the go-ahead for a fresh strike. Speaking to journalists at the university's Amassoma campus, ASUU-NDU Chairman Lucky Oyinkepreye said the branch had kept up consistent talks with the state government since suspending its previous strike in December 2024, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2025. He noted that while university management has moved on some non-financial aspects of that agreement, the financial commitments remain unmet despite repeated engagement. Among the outstanding issues, Oyinkepreye listed the implementation of the Consolidated Academic Salary Structure and related allowances, payment of salary arrears, arrears tied to the 25–35 per cent wage award, professors' allowances, and staff housing for lecturers. On the housing question, he pointed out that despite the university's long-standing existence, there is still no dedicated accommodation for staff, leaving many lecturers to commute daily between Yenagoa and Amassoma. Oyinkepreye argued that Bayelsa, as an oil-producing state, has the resources to meet these welfare obligations, noting that other state universities with tighter budgets have already begun paying similar entitlements. He said the union has formally alerted both Governor Douye Diri and the university administration to the unresolved matters, and that ASUU's national body has already reviewed the branch's readiness to embark on strike action. For now, he said, lecturers will continue teaching and carrying out their academic duties while awaiting the national leadership's final decision. The prospect of another strike has unsettled students, who are calling on the state government to step in before the academic calendar is disrupted again. David Goodness, a 400-level medical student, said a fresh strike would further delay graduation, pointing to how previous strikes had already set students back. Fellow students Esther Alaere and Kenegwa Ayibanua echoed similar worries, warning that another shutdown would pile more financial pressure on parents while taking a toll on students' academic progress and mental health. All three urged ASUU and the state government to settle the dispute through dialogue. The standoff adds to broader concerns around funding and staff welfare across Nigerian public universities, with stakeholders continuing to press for sustained dialogue and full implementation of agreements to safeguard uninterrupted academic activity.