The Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) has declared a trade dispute over developments at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON), Badagry, warning that the situation could escalate into a nationwide strike and coordinated picketing across federal research and allied institutions.

In a formal letter addressed to the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Service Matters, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, the union raised concerns over what it described as unlawful and intimidating actions by the management of #ASCON.

ASURI said it was acting in defence of both its members and the statutory mandate of the institution as a national centre for management development and executive capacity building.

The union alleged that on 12 January 2026, the Director-General of ASCON, Dr Funke Adepoju, arrived at the Badagry campus accompanied by armed military personnel, an action ASURI said created an atmosphere of fear within a civil academic environment.

According to the union, 18 Academic Directors and Deputy Directors were summoned and compelled to collect letters terminating their appointments, reportedly on the grounds of age and length of service.

ASURI described the terminations as illegal, degrading, and in clear violation of established public service and academic regulations. It maintained that ASCON is not a conventional civil service department but a specialised institution established under the ASCON Act of 1972, comparable to advanced university and postgraduate institutions with both national and international training and research responsibilities.

The union stated that multiple statutory and administrative instruments clearly place the retirement age of ASCON academic staff at 65 years.

These include directives from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, relevant sections of the Public Service Rules, approved Conditions of Service for Federal Research and Development Institutions, and the Harmonised Retirement Age for Teachers in Nigeria Act.

ASURI warned that allowing the situation at ASCON Badagry to stand could set a dangerous precedent across Nigeria’s research and higher education sector.

In the letter signed by ASURI’s Secretary, Professor Theophilus Ndubuaku, the union demanded the immediate and unconditional reversal of the affected terminations and decisive intervention to prevent further erosion of institutional integrity.

ASURI cautioned that failure to address the matter promptly would leave it with no option but to proceed with a nationwide strike and picketing, warning that such action could significantly disrupt research, training, and capacity-building activities across the country.