By Els William
“The reality is that the work stops here. So, we failed. I failed. I failed them.”
Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has apologised to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abia State University (ABSU) chapter, over the recent industrial action at the institution, admitting that the strike was avoidable and taking personal responsibility for the administrative failure that delayed the implementation of approved welfare measures.
Otti made the admission on Thursday at a public lecture organised as part of activities marking the 35th anniversary of the creation of Abia State, held at the International Conference Centre, Umuahia, with the theme, “The Rise of a New Abia.”
The governor said ASUU’s demands had been presented to him, carefully considered and approved months before the union eventually embarked on the strike, but were not implemented because of bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“ASUU went on strike about a week or two ago in Abia State University, Uturu. Their requests came to me. I looked at those requests, and they were legitimate requests, and I approved them,” Otti said.
“But months later, I’m not saying weeks, months later, I was to be told that, yes, you have approved, but it had not been implemented.”
The governor questioned why an implementation committee was required after the financial implications of the demands had already been contained in the memo submitted for his approval.
“We set up an implementation committee. So, I asked the question, what does the implementation committee mean?” he said.
“The total cost of the difference between what they were earning and what they are asking for was in the memo that I approved. So that means that somebody has thought through it.”
Taking responsibility for the failure, Otti publicly apologised to the university community.
“So, I want to, on this podium, apologise to Abia State University as well. That strike was avoidable,” he said.
“And I’ve told my people, if it happens again, heads will roll.”
In a more personal admission, the governor added: “The reality is that the work stops here. So, we failed. I failed. I failed them.”
The ASUU-ABSU chapter commenced an indefinite strike on August 11, following the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the university’s Governing Council on July 22.
Among the issues raised by the union were the non-implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU agreement, irregular promotions, non-remittance of cooperative deductions and outstanding Earned Academic Allowances dating back to 2009.
The industrial dispute was subsequently resolved following the intervention of a committee led by the Secretary to the State Government. On August 24, the state government announced that the outstanding issues had been addressed.
State Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, said the governor had approved the union’s demands as far back as April, but implementation had been delayed by administrative processes.
He said outstanding check-off dues had been paid, while the new salary scale, Consolidated Academic Salary and Teaching Allowance (ASCATA) and other related payments were to be reflected in the August salaries of affected workers.
‘How much will it cost?’
Otti said the episode was particularly troubling given the administration’s investments in ABSU and the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba.
He questioned why government could commit substantial resources to infrastructure without giving corresponding attention to the welfare of the workers responsible for delivering services in those institutions.
“The question to ask is, so if we have spent this much money, how much in terms of their welfare, how much will it cost?” he asked.
The governor said the episode had exposed the need for greater efficiency and accountability within the government machinery, warning that bureaucratic delays must not be allowed to frustrate policies and decisions already approved by government.
He stressed that workers’ welfare issues should not remain unresolved after government had taken a decision to address them.
“Government must be willing to acknowledge its failures rather than shifting responsibility to workers whenever administrative lapses affect them,” Otti said in substance, stressing that officials responsible for implementation must ensure that approved policies translate into action.
The governor’s remarks came against the backdrop of his administration’s broader emphasis on education and human capital development. At the anniversary event, officials highlighted the government’s investments in education and infrastructure, while former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Osita Chidoka, delivered the anniversary lecture.
Otti’s apology marks an unusual admission of responsibility by a sitting governor for an industrial dispute involving a state-owned university, while his warning of consequences for officials reflects his determination to tighten implementation and accountability within the state government.
For the ABSU community, however, the immediate issue is the implementation of the commitments that brought the strike to an end, after weeks of disruption to academic activities.
The governor has now made clear that he considers any recurrence of such administrative failure unacceptable.