The Take It Back Movement (TIB), Ondo State Chapter, has condemned the shutdown of academic activities across the three state-owned universities in Ondo State, accusing the administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Ayedatiwa of failing to prevent the crisis and protect the educational future of thousands of students.
The movement, in a strongly worded statement signed by its Ondo State Coordinator, Patrick Owolabi, said the ongoing industrial action by university workers and the resulting shutdown were evidence of government failure and demanded immediate intervention by the governor.
TIB said it was particularly concerned that students had been left to bear the consequences of unresolved disputes between the state government and university workers.
According to the group, Governor Ayedatiwa could not continue to watch from a distance while academic activities remained suspended indefinitely.
The movement said a government that could not keep its universities open, honour legitimate agreements with workers and guarantee a stable academic calendar was “gambling recklessly with the future of an entire generation.”
TIB declared its solidarity with the striking workers across the affected universities, stressing that their grievances must be addressed through genuine engagement rather than temporary measures.
It said the shutdown of the institutions was not merely a labour dispute but a development that directly affected students, parents and the wider future of Ondo State.
“Governor Ayedatiwa must understand that governance cannot be conducted through silence and excuses,” the statement said.
The group further accused the state government of allowing recurring crises to undermine the university system, arguing that Ondo State could not claim to be pursuing meaningful development while its state-owned universities were repeatedly disrupted by industrial action.
It also criticised an approach that, in its view, places emphasis on physical infrastructure without ensuring that the institutions remain functional and capable of providing uninterrupted education.
“Buildings without and a government that waits until institutions are shut down before responding has already failed in its duty of prevention,” TIB stated.
The movement consequently demanded immediate and genuine engagement between the state government and the striking workers and their unions.
It also called for the urgent implementation of all outstanding commitments and agreements affecting university workers, saying government promises must translate into concrete action.
TIB demanded a transparent roadmap for permanently resolving the dispute, warning against another temporary political arrangement that could merely postpone the crisis and expose students to future strikes.
The group equally demanded a clear assurance from the state government to students and parents that Ondo State universities would no longer be subjected to recurring strikes and prolonged shutdowns.
It warned that the educational future of young people in the state could not be left at the mercy of administrative delays and government inaction.
“The future of Ondo State cannot remain hostage to administrative negligence and government inaction,” the movement said.
TIB maintained that the state’s universities must not be allowed to become “monuments to broken promises,” insisting that Ondo State deserved a government that understood the consequences of prolonged disruption to education.
It added that workers deserved dignity, students deserved certainty and the universities deserved a government capable of resolving disputes before they escalated into shutdowns.
“Governor Ayedatiwa must act, and he must act now,” the group said.
The movement ended its statement with a direct message to the governor: “GOVERNOR AYEDATIWA, STOP WATCHING. START GOVERNING.”