The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Owerri Zone, has raised fresh concerns over the state of affairs at Imo State University (IMSU), Owerri, accusing the institution of facing a serious shortage of academic manpower and other challenges that require urgent Government intervention.
The Union called on Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who is the Visitor to the university, to urgently convene a meeting involving the university management, Governing Council and ASUU to examine the problems confronting the institution and work out measures to address them.
ASUU’s latest intervention comes amid an ongoing industrial dispute at the university. According to the Union, lecturers at IMSU had been on strike for 37 days as of Thursday, September 17, 2026, largely over the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement, which took effect in January 2026 across public universities.
The Union’s position was contained in a statement signed by the Owerri Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Dennis Aribodor, and made available to journalists on Thursday.
ASUU alleged that the university’s academic workforce had suffered a major decline over the years, with the number of academic staff dropping from more than 1,000 to approximately 500.
The Union attributed the reduction to factors including migration, retirement and death, warning that the situation could have significant implications for the effective operation of the university.
According to ASUU, IMSU has also failed to conduct a substantive employment exercise for more than a decade. The Union said the last major recruitment exercise at the institution took place in 2014.
The prolonged absence of recruitment, it argued, had contributed to the decline in the university’s academic manpower and increased pressure on the available lecturers.
The Union also raised concerns over the engagement of casual workers at the university. ASUU alleged that more than 50 casual workers were being engaged as lecturers and paid approximately ₦50,000 monthly.
The allegation was presented by the Union as part of the wider challenges affecting the institution and its ability to maintain an effective academic environment.
ASUU said the situation required the attention of the State Government and other stakeholders, particularly because the Governor, as Visitor to IMSU, has an important role in addressing matters affecting the university.
The Union further alleged that the university administration had not adequately communicated the full extent of the challenges facing the institution to the Governor.
It therefore urged Uzodimma to bring the relevant parties together for a roundtable discussion that would provide an opportunity for the management, Governing Council, Government and ASUU to examine the situation collectively.
The Union’s call comes against the backdrop of the ongoing disagreement over the implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement at IMSU.
ASUU said the agreement, which took effect in January 2026 across public universities, had yet to be implemented at the Imo institution despite what it described as the transmission of relevant communications from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to the appropriate authorities.
The Union said other state governments had accepted the agreement and that some had already commenced implementation.
ASUU consequently urged the Imo State Government and university authorities to take steps towards implementing the agreement at IMSU.
The Union maintained that resolving the dispute would require more than addressing the immediate industrial action, arguing that the underlying structural problems at the university also needed attention.
It specifically called for measures to address the shortage of academic staff, the recruitment gap and other issues it said were undermining the effective running of the institution.
The Union appealed to the Governor to summon representatives of the university administration, Governing Council and ASUU for discussions aimed at finding sustainable solutions.
The latest development means that the dispute at IMSU is now tied not only to the implementation of the national agreement but also to broader concerns raised by ASUU about staffing and working conditions at the university.
Reports on Thursday confirmed that ASUU’s Owerri Zone had specifically described the university as needing urgent attention from the State Government. The Union said a direct intervention by the Governor could create an avenue for the parties to address the outstanding issues and work towards resolving the strike.
ASUU’s allegations, including the claim concerning the number of academic staff and the monthly pay of casual workers, are claims made by the Union in its statement and were not independently established in the reports reviewed.
For now, the Union is asking the State Government to facilitate a comprehensive discussion involving all the major stakeholders rather than allowing the disagreement to persist.
It said such an engagement would help clarify the situation at IMSU, address the manpower shortage and resolve the outstanding issues surrounding the implementation of the 2025 agreement.
The Union’s appeal is also coming at a time when students and other members of the university community remain affected by the prolonged industrial action.
ASUU urged the Governor and other stakeholders to act urgently, stressing that the problems facing the institution required coordinated intervention.
The Union said bringing the Government, university management, Governing Council and ASUU to the same table would provide an opportunity to develop practical solutions for the university and restore stability to academic activities.
The dispute therefore remains focused on both the immediate demand for implementation of the 2025 Federal Government-ASUU Agreement and ASUU’s wider concerns about staffing and the administration of Imo State University.
Until the outstanding issues are resolved, the continued strike is likely to remain a major concern for the university community, particularly students whose academic activities have been disrupted.
ASUU has consequently renewed its appeal for urgent intervention, asking the State Government to engage the relevant stakeholders and take steps towards addressing what it described as the deepening challenges at Imo State University, Owerri.