Abia State Governor Alex Otti apologises to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and Abia State University, Uturu, over a strike that he says was avoidable. He makes the remarks during his address at the 35th anniversary celebrations of the creation of Abia State.

Otti says he granted approval in April 2026 after receiving requests from the union, which he describes as legitimate. He later learns the approval had not been implemented by the committee he set up, and he links that failure to the university strike. Multiple outlets report him acknowledging that the situation reflects a breakdown in execution and taking responsibility for the outcome.

While all sources focus on the apology and the unimplemented April approval, they differ slightly in emphasis. Nigerian Eye and Premium Times quote Otti directly about avoiding the strike and stress accountability (“I failed”). Daily Post Nigeria frames the event primarily as an apology for the non-implementation. None of the reports provide detailed responses from ASUU or specific measures taken after the apology.