70 Day ASUU-IMSU Strike Leaves Students, Business Owners Stranded

Students of the Imo State University have lamented over the continued strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the school which has entered the 70th day.

The scheduled protest by the ASUU members for Monday, October 19th was stopped while Congress is ongoing to marshal out plans to address the lingering strike.

ASUU-IMSU Chairperson, Dr Stephen Oguji told Leadership on Monday that they had been allowed into the school premises but just to hold Congress while approval for the protest was denied.

Oguji said, “We have just been allowed into the school premises to hold our Congress. Approval for the protest was denied by the school management.”

He expressed hopes that ASUU-IMSU members will fashion out a new position to address the strike situation.

The ASUU-IMSU had on August 10, 2026, declared a total and indefinite strike over
the non-implementation of the 2025 FGN/ASUU agreement regarding staff welfare, along with long-standing unpaid arrears, promotion backlogs, and poor campus infrastructure.

It was gathered that the ASUU-IMSU members had planned to hold a rally on Monday, October 19th but the school management refused to approve it because of lack of Police permit.

The Vice Chancellor in a letter addressed to the ASUU-IMSU Chairperson, Dr. Stephen Oguji and Secretary, Dr. Laz Chikwendu, said approval was denied because the “union did not seek approval from Management before now to embark on in-campus peaceful rally on Monday October 19, 2026 rather you notified the University Administration of your intention.

“Management did not see any evidence that you obtained approval from the Commissioner of Police (COP) in the State to embark on any protest; peaceful or otherwise. As a matter of procedure, an approval must first be obtained for such protest from the COP in Law”, the letter read.

Consequently, approval was denied for the rally.

However, students complain that no discussion is going on while their academic journey is put on hold.

Some students said the strike will elicit fresh house rents from their parents who are already stretched from buying textbooks and feeding.

Nmesoma said it was unfair for the State government to ignore the demands of the striking lecturers and continue with campaigns while the students lost valuable time doing nothing.

However, students complain that they have been abandoned to their fate while politiking goes on.

A visit to the once bubbling citadel of learning showed empty classes with mostly non-academic staff unable to answer the questions from students.

A few students in the school premises said they came to look around to while away time and see their friends to catch up.

Phillip, a student in the social sciences faculty said his parents now complain about his presence even as they worry that he may keep bad friends.

He said “it’s been tough for me these past few months, I can’t even greet my female neighbours without my mum warning me about unwanted pregnancies because I’m jobless. At other times she is busy warning me to avoid internet fraud. I can’t wait to go back to school so I can rest from these harassments”, he said.

The State government is yet to say anything about the strike. While the second semester examinations may be in jeopardy as lecturers say they did not set the questions that students wrote in August/September.

The strike had botched the examinations, though some students claim that they allowed to write the examinations.

Drivers and brisk business operators like POS, food vendors, photocopy and typing say their means of livehood have been on hold for two months running.

Mrs Adaobi Opara said she normally sold over 150 pieces of egg rolls and meat pies daily before the strike but now struggles to sell 20.

Opara said “when students are in school, I normally sell over 150 egg rolls daily as well as meat pies and soft drinks to the teeming population but now, I barely sell 20 pieces because there are no students in the school. I can’t just stay home and eat up my capital”.

While Nkechi who sells Abacha, cooked cassava flakes said it had been tough for her household as she had to trek streets to earn a living.

Nkechi said “ideally I sell within IMSU premises and always exhaust my wares but since the strike began, I now ply the streets to look for customers. If I continue waiting for them to resume, we will run into debts in my home and won’t be able to feed. They should please call off the strike so the students can resume and we can earn a living. It’s not funny anymore”.

While a business centre operator, Mr Duru said the buzzling nature of his shop had stopped, looking like a shadow of itself.

“Imo State government and IMSU management should please call off this strike before I take to social media to beg for money. I had just renewed rent here and now I don’t have anything to fall back on. They should call off the strike immediately because my children are hungry. Even my son just admitted to study can’t resume either. Government should please answer ASUU-IMSU people”, Duru said.

Nobody knows where the pending will swing while students and their parents wait patiently for the call off of the strike, but only ASUU-IMSU, school management, and the Imo State Government hold the answers.