The Joint Action Committee (JAC) of staff unions in Ondo State’s tertiary institutions has issued a 14-day ultimatum to Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa to implement the National Minimum Wage and address several long-standing welfare concerns, or face a statewide industrial action.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to the Governor, the unions — which include the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Polytechnics (SSANIP) — decried the continued exclusion of staff in the higher education sector from the wage benefits already being enjoyed by civil servants in other arms of government.
The JAC noted that despite the passage of the 2025 budget, institutions such as Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko; Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; and Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, remain neglected in the implementation of the 2024 National Minimum Wage.
Highlighting the economic hardships faced by their members, the unions stressed that arrears from the 2019 Minimum Wage are yet to be paid, while the wage award payments remain incomplete. They accused the state government of unfairness and lack of commitment to resolving their plight, despite earlier engagements and a communique issued in February 2025.
Among their key demands are the immediate release of withheld subventions dating back to January 2017, full implementation of the 2025 budgetary allocations, and payment of outstanding pensions and gratuities to retired staff.
The unions warned that failure to meet these demands within two weeks would lead to a strike that could paralyze academic activities across all state-owned tertiary institutions.
“Our agitation is not just about salaries — it’s about justice, fairness, and the dignity of labor,” the committee emphasized, calling on the Governor to act swiftly to prevent a crisis in the state’s education sector.
