The Osun State Government has rejected claims made by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) that the Osun State University (UNIOSUN) Law is merely a domesticated version of the federal Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2012.
​In an official statement released on Saturday, September 12, 2026, from Osogbo, the State Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, clarified the legal and operational framework of the state-owned institution.
The state government’s response came in reaction to resolutions issued by ASUU’s National Executive Council (NEC) following an emergency meeting held on Saturday, September 5, 2026, in Abuja.
​Dismissing ASUU’s assertions as legally misconceived, Alimi stated that UNIOSUN does not derive its governance structure or existence from federal legislation.
UNIOSUN is governed strictly under its own enabling legislation passed by the Osun State House of Assembly. The university operates under the authority of its Visitor, Governor Ademola Adeleke, alongside its Governing Council and designated institutional organs.
Responding to union concerns over the tenure extension of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Clement Odunayo Adebooye, the government affirmed that the decision followed constitutional processes.
The Osun State House of Assembly enacted proper amendments to the institution’s establishment law following recommendations by the Visitor.
​The Osun State Government expressed surprise over ASUU’s omission of Osun State from its list of sub-national entities commended for implementing the 2025 FGN-ASUU Agreement.
Osun State implemented the FGN-ASUU agreement at UNIOSUN before the Federal Government began its own implementation. Governor Ademola Adeleke was the second state executive in the country, after Ekiti State, to approve the updated salary structure and authorize the payment of corresponding arrears.
The state government described ASUU’s exclusion of Osun State from its commendation list as “surprising, inexplicable, and mischievous” given its recorded promptness on staff welfare.
​The state government urged the leadership of ASUU to base its public declarations on verified facts rather than conjecture or threats of industrial action. While recognizing ASUU’s statutory role in advocating for academic staff, the statement emphasised that trade union status does not grant the union authority to override or dictate to constitutionally empowered state institutions.
​Reaffirming that UNIOSUN remains fully open, peaceful, and functional, the government reiterated its willingness to engage ASUU in constructive dialogue within the bounds of the law.
