Tension rose on Tuesday at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago Iwoye, as members of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) staged a protest over the cancellation of the two-day work-free period earlier approved by the Ogun State Government as a palliative measure.
In September 2024, Governor Dapo Abiodun had announced a two-day weekly work-free policy for state workers to cushion the hardship caused by the removal of fuel subsidy. However, the OOU management reportedly suspended the arrangement, sparking outrage among non-academic staff.
The protesting workers, who gathered at the university’s main gate, carried placards with inscriptions such as “OOU management must obey the two-day directive declared by the state government,” “Cancellation of two-day off is illegal,” and “Stop manipulating university laws.”
During the demonstration, the unions accused the university’s management of high-handedness and intimidation, claiming that staff who voiced dissent were being threatened with dismissal. The protesters also clashed verbally with members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), alleging that the academic union was acting as a mouthpiece for management.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Adebola Odufuwa, Chairman of NASU, OOU chapter, said the cancellation of the palliative had worsened the financial hardship faced by workers who commute long distances daily.
“We are here to express our dissatisfaction with the management for cancelling the two days off approved by the state government. We wrote to them and gave two separate seven-day ultimatums to reverse the decision, but they ignored us,” Odufuwa said.
He noted that some universities that revoked similar palliatives provided monetary compensation for staff, lamenting that OOU management offered no such relief.
“Staff coming from Ijebu-Ode spend about ₦5,000 daily on transport, while those from Ijebu-Igbo and Ago Iwoye spend between ₦2,000 and ₦3,000. The hardship is unbearable,” he added.
Odufuwa further appealed to Governor Abiodun to set up a visitation panel to investigate the university’s management and address workers’ grievances.
Supporting the call, Dr. Adedeji Lamina, Chairman of JAC (SSANU and NASU), said the last visitation panel to OOU was over 10 years ago, contrary to the legal provision for such panels every five years.
“Aside from the illegal cancellation of the two-day off, the management has created an atmosphere of fear. Many staff members are being dragged before disciplinary committees without justification. It’s a ploy to intimidate and eventually disengage workers,” Lamina alleged.
He accused the university of marginalising non-teaching staff, claiming that while about 250 new employees were recently hired in the academic sector, none were recruited into the non-teaching cadre.
Lamina also faulted the handling of staff pension deductions, stating that while ASUU members’ contributions were up to date, those of non-teaching staff dating back to 2008 remained unresolved.
“The contributory pension scheme started in 2008, but our deductions are still hanging. We demand accountability,” he said.
Both union leaders insisted that only the intervention of the governor could resolve the escalating crisis.
Reacting to the allegations, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, Vice-Chancellor of OOU, dismissed the claims as “outright falsehood and misinformation.”
“All the claims made by the unions are tissues of lies. They are deliberate attempts to mislead the public. I have scheduled a press briefing for Wednesday to address all these issues in detail with facts and figures,” the Vice-Chancellor said.
The standoff has heightened tensions on campus as workers await the university management’s official response and possible intervention from the Ogun State Government.