Students of the Imo State University have lamented over the continued strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the college which has entered the seventieth day.
The scheduled protest by the ASUU members for Monday, October nineteenth was stopped whereas Congress is ongoing to marshal out plans to deal with the lingering strike.
ASUU-IMSU Chairperson, Dr Stephen Oguji informed Leadership on Monday 
that they’d been allowed into the college premises however simply to carry Congress whereas approval for the protest was denied.
Oguji stated, “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 style out a brand new place to deal with the strike state of affairs.
The ASUU-IMSU had on August 10, 2026, declared a complete and indefinite strike over
the non-implementation of the 2025 FGN/ASUU settlement concerning workers welfare, together with long-standing unpaid arrears, promotion backlogs, and poor campus infrastructure.
It was gathered that the ASUU-IMSU members had deliberate to carry a rally on Monday, October nineteenth however the college administration refused to approve it due to lack of Police allow.
The Vice (*70*) in a letter addressed to the ASUU-IMSU Chairperson, Dr. Stephen Oguji and Secretary, Dr. Laz Chikwendu, stated approval was denied as a result of the “union didn’t search approval from Management prior to now to embark on in-campus peaceable rally on Monday October 19, 2026 fairly 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 learn.
Consequently, approval was denied for the rally.
However, college students complain that no dialogue is happening whereas their tutorial journey is placed on maintain.
Some college students stated the strike will elicit contemporary home rents from their mother and father who’re already stretched from shopping for textbooks and feeding.
Nmesoma stated it was unfair for the State authorities to disregard the calls for of the putting lecturers and proceed with campaigns whereas the scholars misplaced precious time doing nothing.
However, college students complain that they’ve been deserted to their destiny whereas politiking goes on.
A go to to the as soon as effervescent citadel of studying confirmed empty lessons with largely non-academic workers unable to reply the questions from college students.
Just a few college students within the college premises stated they got here to go searching to whereas away time and see their buddies to catch up.
Phillip, a pupil within the social sciences school stated his mother and father now complain about his presence at the same time as they fear that he might hold dangerous buddies.
He stated “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 stated.
The State authorities is but to say something in regards to the strike. While the second semester examinations could also be in jeopardy as lecturers say they didn’t set the questions that college students wrote in August/September.
The strike had botched the examinations, although some college students declare that they allowed to put in writing the examinations.
Drivers and brisk enterprise operators like POS, meals distributors, photocopy and typing say their technique of livehood have been on maintain for 2 months working.
Mrs Adaobi Opara stated she usually offered over 150 items of egg rolls and meat pies every day earlier than the strike however now struggles to promote 20.
Opara stated “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 stated it had been powerful for her family as she needed to trek streets to earn a residing.
Nkechi stated “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 enterprise centre operator, Mr Duru stated the buzzling nature of his store had stopped, trying 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 stated.
Nobody is aware of the place the pending will swing whereas college students and their mother and father wait patiently for the decision off of the strike, however solely ASUU-IMSU, college administration, and the Imo State Government maintain the solutions.
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