The Joint Action Congress of Ondo State Tertiary Institutions (JAC-ODSTI) has rejected the agreement reached between some unions and the Ondo government on implementing the federal government agreement.

JAC-ODSTI said it would resist any attempt by the Ondo government to adopt divide-and-rule among its members, insisting that the ongoing strike would continue until all demands are met, according to a statement jointly signed by Tayo Ogungbeni and Kunle Akinwonmi, JAC-ODSTI chairman and secretary, respectively, on Tuesday.

JAC-ODSTI comprises the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA), Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology (OAUSTECH), Okitipupa, and University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo.

JAC-ODSTI lamented that only the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of AAUA attended the meeting with the state government where the agreement was made. It added that ASUU cannot negotiate on behalf of other unions in the state-owned tertiary institutions.

“Our attention has been drawn to a press release by the state government that an agreement has been reached with all the striking unions in all the state-owned universities.

“We wish to inform the good people of the state that SSANU, NASU, and NAAT of AAUA, OAUSTECH and UNIMED were not part of that agreement, as only ASUU of AAUA can negotiate on behalf of other unions in other universities.

“It is now clear that the state government is using divide-and-rule tactics in order to break our ranks, but this will fail woefully. We shall resist the plan of the state government to demoralise our members in whatsoever form. We stand on our demands for the payment of the FGN/Unions Agreement with effect from August 2026, and payment of the outstanding arrears from January 2026 to date,” the unions said.

Academic and non-academic unions in the Ondo state-owned universities are currently on a total and indefinite strike over unpaid allowances to members.

The state government, in a statement on Monday, said it had reached an agreement with the striking unions to fully implement and pay all outstanding salaries and allowances in the FG/Union agreement.

(NAN)