Osun Govt Fires Back At ASUU Over UNIOSUN, Salary Agreement

-Says UNIOSUN Governed By State Law, Not Federal Act

The Osun State Government has dismissed claims by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) concerning the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement and the governance of the Osun State University (UNIOSUN), describing some of the union’s assertions as misleading.

The government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, said it respected ASUU’s right to advocate for the welfare of its members but insisted that the union’s recent statement contained inaccuracies that needed to be corrected.

ASUU had, in a statement issued after its emergency National Executive Council meeting in Abuja on September 5, 2026, raised concerns over the implementation of the 2025 agreement and issues surrounding the governance of UNIOSUN.

Reacting, the Osun Government said it was “particularly curious” that ASUU commended some state governments for commencing implementation of the agreement without acknowledging the efforts of the Adeleke administration.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Osun State Government has implemented the Federal Government/ASUU agreement at Osun State University, even before the Federal Government, and has also commenced payment of the applicable arrears,” the statement said.

It added that Governor Ademola Adeleke was the second governor, after Ekiti State, to approve the applicable salary adjustment, describing ASUU’s failure to acknowledge Osun’s efforts as “surprising and inexplicable.”

The government said, “The Osun State Government considers this omission as mischief. Our commitment to staff welfare is unparalleled and the records in our University speak to this claim.”

On the controversy surrounding UNIOSUN’s legal framework, the government rejected ASUU’s assertion that the Osun State University Law was a domesticated version of the Federal Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2012.

According to the government, UNIOSUN has its own establishment law enacted by the Osun State House of Assembly and is therefore governed by its enabling legislation and the statutory framework applicable to its organs.

“The attempt by ASUU to present the Federal Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act as though it is the controlling legislation for UNIOSUN is legally misconceived,” the statement said.

The government also defended the decision concerning the tenure of the Vice-Chancellor, saying it was not an arbitrary executive action or an attempt to circumvent the law.

It explained that following the decision of the Visitor, the Osun State House of Assembly exercised its legislative powers to amend relevant provisions of the Osun State University Establishment Law.

“A law made by the legislature can, subject to the Constitution and applicable legislative procedure, be amended by the legislature,” the government said, arguing that the legislative intervention was itself an exercise of the rule of law.

The government further rejected the portrayal of UNIOSUN as an institution facing an existential crisis capable of triggering industrial action, insisting that the university remained open and functional.

“UNIOSUN remains open, functional and focused on its core mandates of teaching, research, innovation and community service,” it said.

It stressed that the state had no intention of imposing its model on other states, noting that each state had its own laws and systems for operating its universities.

While acknowledging ASUU as an important stakeholder in the university system, the government said the union had no statutory authority to exercise or direct powers vested in the Visitor, Governing Council, university administration or the State House of Assembly.

It therefore urged ASUU to verify its facts before issuing statements capable of creating unnecessary tension around the university.

“It is particularly important that a union of academics should be guided by facts, evidence and the applicable law,” the statement said.

The government, however, said its doors remained open for constructive engagement with ASUU on the welfare of academic staff and other issues affecting UNIOSUN.

It added that such engagement must be based on “facts rather than assumptions, law rather than conjecture, and dialogue rather than threats of industrial action.”

The government reaffirmed its commitment to honouring its legitimate obligations to academic staff, supporting the growth and development of UNIOSUN and respecting the authority of duly constituted organs of the university and the state.

It also assured that it would not be distracted by what it described as attempts to create unnecessary tension around an institution that remained stable and committed to academic excellence.