The Congress of University Academics hereafter referred to as CONUA was mooted and birthed by about seven hundred and fifty (750) academic staff (Lecturers) of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife on 12th February 2018, at a meeting held at the Humanities’ Block I Auditorium of the Obafemi Awolowo University.

The formal inauguration of CONUA was held on 6th March 2018 at the same venue with over one hundred and twenty members in attendance, including representatives of the University of Ilorin and Kwara State University, Malete. Ever since then, there are yearnings from other campuses, with similar experiences to that of OAU, which have requested to be part of the Union.

Between 4th and 6th October 2019, the first National Stakeholders’ meeting of CONUA held at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, involving five (5) universities, namely OAU, KWASU, FU Lokoja, AAU, Ekpoma and FUOYE.
At present, the membership composition of CONUA cuts across all ranks of Nigeria’s academic profession. These range from Graduate Assistant to the highest rank of Professor. Since this decision was made, several other academics (Lecturers) from many Nigerian universities with the same philosophy, circumstances, visions, and goals have established branches of the union with membership cutting across different ranks of the academic profession also.

Some of these branches include and are not limited to the University of Port-Harcourt, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, University of Benin, Federal University, Lokoja, Federal University, Oye, Kwara State University, Malete, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife. Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, University of Abuja, Delta State University, Abraka, and Federal University, Otuoke are in the process of inaugurating CONUA as a union. As law-abiding citizens, members immediately resolved to apply for registration with the Nigerian state.