By Paul Egede/Agbor
Academic activities at the University of Delta (UNIDEL), Agbor, have come to a grinding halt as lecturers, yesterday joined the on-going nationwide strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), leaving thousands of students stranded.
Some lecturers, who were already in the lecture halls teaching the students were chased out of the classrooms by the monitoring team of the union, led by Comrade Ekokotu.
The industrial action, which began on Monday, October 13, 2025, is part of a coordinated effort by ASUU to press home demands for improved working conditions and adherence to previous agreements with the federal government.
Students, many of whom had returned to campus for lectures and examinations have been left in limbo with lecture halls now empty.
“We came back just last week hoping lectures would resume fully only to be told today that our lecturers have joined the strike,” said one of the newly admitted students.
The Chairperson of ASUU, Unidel Chapter, Comrade Desmond Aghogho Ekokotu at the Unions Secretariat confirmed that academic staff downed tools in solidarity with the national directive from ASUU’s leadership.
For many students, the impact of the strike is not just academic, it’s economic and emotional. “I traveled all the way from Lagos to resume only to find out there will be no classes,” said a 300 level student.
The UNIDEL chapter of ASUU has reportedly aligned itself with the national body, stressing that the federal government’s failure to implement the 2009 Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) necessitated the action.
It was observed that public universities are expected to remain closed for the duration of two weeks until meaningful progress is made in negotiations.
As tension mounts, students and parents are calling on both the federal government and ASUU to urgently return to the negotiation table and find a resolution to avoid another prolonged disruption to Nigeria’s already fragile tertiary education system.
“If the government values education, this strike shouldn’t last a week,” said a parent who pleaded to remain anonymous. “Our children deserve better.
