The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri branch, has vowed to sustain its strike until the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement is fully implemented, demanding payment of outstanding salaries and arrears.

The union, which began the industrial action on August 10, 2026, said it would not suspend the strike without concrete and verifiable commitments from the university management.

It was learnt that negotiations between the University Council and the union had broken down, as ASUU remained resolute in its decision to sustain the strike until the university implemented the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.

The union’s Chairman, Comrade Stephen Oguji, reaffirmed its position against calling off the strike during a press conference held at the university premises in Owerri.

“ASUU-IMSU is on strike and shall remain on strike until the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement is implemented in our university,” he declared.

Oguji said the agreement, signed in December 2025 and effective from January 1, 2026, was intended to improve lecturers’ welfare and conditions of service.

He claimed that the agreement had been implemented in federal universities and at least 26 states, but IMSU had yet to comply despite seven letters to the university management, three to the Governing Council and several meetings with relevant stakeholders.

The ASUU chairman said the strike, now in its 77th day, had continued despite the resolution of similar disputes at other institutions, including Abia State University, Nasarawa State University and Niger Delta University.

He accused the IMSU management of failing to pursue a meaningful settlement and alleged that union members had faced intimidation, arrest and detention over their participation in the industrial action.

He also faulted the university management for scheduling second-semester examinations for the 2025/2026 academic session to begin on Monday, despite the ongoing strike.

According to him, the Vice-Chancellor reportedly wrote to the university’s Visitor claiming that the union was not on strike. Oguji further alleged that non-academic and casual staff had been deployed to conduct examinations.

He insisted that the scheduled examinations could not erase the industrial dispute, adding that the union would oppose activities that created the impression that normal academic operations had resumed.

The union listed eight conditions for considering the suspension of the strike, including actual payment of September and October salaries at the new rate and a time-bound agreement for the payment of salary arrears covering January to August 2026.

It also demanded the constitution of a committee to conduct elections for heads of departments, cancellation of examinations and postgraduate defences conducted during the strike, and a written agreement guaranteeing that participating lecturers would not be victimised.

Other demands include payment of withheld salaries, settlement of outstanding Earned Academic Allowances, and written agreements with clear timelines for resolving postgraduate allowances and pension-related obligations. Oguji said the conditions were necessary to ensure that negotiations produced measurable results rather than fresh promises. “We are not opposed to dialogue.

We are opposed to dialogue without commitment, assurances without implementation, and promises without measurable results,” he said.

The union also accused the university management of withholding September salaries of affected academic staff, alleging that the salaries had not been paid at either the old or new rate, while non-academic staff had received theirs. It called on the relevant authorities to explain the disparity and pay all outstanding salaries.

Acknowledging the hardship caused by the prolonged strike to students and parents, ASUU urged the Visitor, Governing Council and Imo State Government to intervene and facilitate a negotiated settlement, warning that continued disruption could damage the academic calendar, institutional reputation and students’ progress.

“We shall remain on strike until the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement is implemented in our university and the outstanding issues are addressed through verifiable commitments,” Oguji said.