The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Christopher Piwuna, has commended the Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Prof. Odunayo Clement Adebooye, for his commitment to the development of the institution and staff welfare.
Piwuna gave the commendation at the second annual lecture of UNIOSUN, where veteran academic and labour activist, Prof. Omotoye Olorode, called for stronger commitment to university autonomy, adequate funding and the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Government and university-based unions.
Olorode, a retired Professor of Botany at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, spoke on the theme, “Collective Bargaining in Labour Relations: Interrogating the Impact of FGN-Staff Unions Agreements on the Nigerian University System.”
He traced the history of collective bargaining in the university system to the early 1980s, when the Academic Staff Union of Universities began pushing for regular negotiations with the Federal Government on funding, university autonomy and conditions of service.
The veteran academic expressed concern over the poor implementation of several agreements reached between the government and university unions, saying this had contributed to industrial disputes and worsened the challenges confronting the university system.
Olorode also criticised the underfunding and commercialisation of public education, arguing that education should remain a public good. He linked poor funding and remuneration to deteriorating infrastructure and facilities, as well as the continued migration of academics from Nigeria.
He stressed the importance of university autonomy and academic freedom, saying universities should have sufficient institutional space to determine their academic programmes, conduct research and pursue knowledge without undue interference.
Olorode, who was a member of ASUU’s national negotiating team from 1992, also argued that the crisis in the university system was connected to the broader socio-economic challenges facing the country.
Speaking earlier, Adebooye said UNIOSUN instituted the annual lecture series to promote intellectual discourse on contemporary national and global issues and enable academics to contribute to addressing societal challenges.
The Vice-Chancellor recalled that at the inaugural lecture, delivered by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, he had appealed to the Federal Government to improve the welfare of university lecturers.
Adebooye disclosed that UNIOSUN was among the top 10 public universities in Nigeria to have fully implemented the 2026 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, including payment of the associated arrears.
He added that the university had secured the approval of the Osun State Governor for the implementation of agreements reached with other university unions, including the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions.
Adebooye said the choice of the lecture topic was deliberate, stressing that signing agreements was only one part of the process, while providing the financial backing for their implementation was equally important.
He urged all stakeholders to approach industrial relations responsibly, warning that unresolved disputes ultimately have consequences for the university system and the nation.
