The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) chapters at Niger Delta University (NDU) and Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) on Tuesday commenced an indefinite strike.

The action follows the alleged failure of the Bayelsa government to implement the 2025 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and pay outstanding 19-month arrears.

The two unions declared the industrial action after separate enlarged congresses held at the Amassoma and Yenagoa campuses of the institutions.

At Amassoma, ASUU-NDU Chairperson, Oyinkepreye Bebeteidoh, confirmed the decision, saying the union had exhausted available avenues for dialogue.

Bebeteidoh said the lecturers were demanding implementation of the CBA signed with the state government in December 2025.

He said the agreement stipulated that implementation should commence in January 2026, but the government had yet to act on it.

According to him, ASUU is specifically demanding payment of the computed CATA figure for academic staff across the three state-owned universities.

He said the amount, which stands at N336,936,294.87, became a valid agreement following its approval on December 23, 2025.

Bebeteidoh said ASUU wrote to the state government in February 2026, reminding it of the agreement and urging immediate implementation.

He expressed concern that several states with lower allocations from the Federation Account had already implemented similar agreements with their university workers.

“Other states did not wait for Bayelsa State Government to implement it before they started.

“Why should Bayelsa State Government wait for other states to implement before it does?” he queried.

On the outstanding wage awards, Bebeteidoh said lecturers were owed 19 months from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent wage awards.

He explained that delayed implementation of the wage awards initially resulted in 25 months of accumulated arrears.

According to him, the government subsequently paid six months, leaving a balance of 19 months.

He said the government had promised to settle the outstanding arrears when the state’s revenue position improved.

Bebeteidoh recalled that ASUU suspended an earlier industrial action after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the state government in February 2025.

He said the suspension was based on the government’s commitments contained in the MoU and assurances that the outstanding issues would be addressed.

“However, more than a year after the signing of the MoU, no action has been taken on the 19-month arrears,” he said.

The ASUU-NDU chairman said the indefinite strike became necessary after repeated appeals and engagements failed to produce tangible results.

He urged the state government to urgently address the union’s demands and avert further disruption to academic activities in the affected institutions.

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