On Monday 14th of February, 2022, the Academic Staff Union of Universities National Council at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) which took place at Tayo Aderinokun Auditorium, University of Lagos, declared a one-month warning strike over the government’s failure to implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Memorandum of Action (MoA) signed between the union and the government; the government’s poor commitment to the payment of academic earned allowance (EAA); the continued use of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System and refusal to adopt the Universities Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), and proliferation of the universities in the country.

OAU ASUU Strike Tussle

The Academic Staff Union Of Universities (ASUU) Obafemi Awolowo University, a faction of the academic body on OAU campus on Monday 31st of January, 2022 declared a total, comprehensive and indefinite strike over the non-payment of Earned Academic Allowance by the management of the University to the deserving members of the union.

While ASUU OAU declared an indefinite strike, the lecturers of the other faction of the academic body, Congress of University Academics (CONUA) continued to hold lectures for their classes.

Students are faced with the confusion on which lecturers belong to the ASUU faction or CONUA faction as there’s no particular list made available to the public to enable students to know whether a particular lecturer will be available for his or her class(es) or not.

To further know how the strike has been affecting academic activities on the OAU campus, ACJOAU conducted a poll on her official Twitter page which gathered 148 votes with the results below;

Increased Campus Socio-Academic Activities

Since the declaration of the OAU ASUU strike which led to the paralyzation of academic activities for some students, social events have taken the ground on the OAU campus as the strike has allowed the students to venture into other things asides from academics. Trade fairs, Musical shows, Movie nights, Freshers parties, Hangouts amidst other social gatherings. Bella Shmurda alongside popularly disc jockey, DJ YK graced the OAU Party Next Door show. Zinoleesky has graced the recently OAU RAVE UP show.

Religious events like MCCF, Light Up OAU as well as academic summits such as the 5.0 Undergraduate Summit which took place at Oduduwa Hall recorded large turnouts from students.

Students have also been using this opportunity to engage in socio-academic activities that will benefit and prepare them for life after school. Students were recruited into different clubs, Associations like ACJ, ANUNSA, AIESEC, JCI amongst other clubs.

Even with the fact that most students are engaged in one thing or the other, the strike has affected academic activities as some classes that were held before the declaration of the Industrial Strike embarked on by the ASUU National have stopped holding after the declaration of the strike.