Abia State Governor Alex Otti has apologised to the academic community of Abia State University (ABSU) over the recent strike by the university’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) branch, admitting that the industrial action could have been avoided.
Otti made the apology on Thursday during a public lecture at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia.
Lecturers at five state-owned universities had commenced an indefinite strike on August 12 over unresolved welfare issues following concerns raised by the national ASUU leadership about the implementation of the 2025 renegotiated agreement between the federal and state governments.
The governor said the demands presented by the ABSU branch were legitimate and had already received his approval, but bureaucratic delays and administrative bottlenecks prevented the decisions from being implemented on time.
“That strike was avoidable. The reality is that the buck stops here. So, we failed. I failed. I failed them.”
Otti said it was unacceptable for workers’ welfare concerns to remain unresolved after government had approved the necessary measures.
He added that his administration must take responsibility when administrative failures occur instead of shifting the blame to workers, warning that officials responsible for similar lapses could face consequences in the future.
ASUU Suspends Strike, Gives ABSU Deadline
The ABSU branch of ASUU suspended its industrial action on Friday and directed lecturers to return to work.
However, the union expressed concern over the continued suspension of Professor Nnamdi Nwaeze, demanding that the university management recall him and lift his suspension by September 4, 2026.
The union warned that failure to meet the deadline could lead to the resumption of the suspended strike.
“The failure by management to comply within this stipulated period would leave us with no option but to resume the suspended industrial action.”
Source: Abia State Government / ABSU ASUU Branch.
